This ancient bone belonged to a child of two extinct human species [Denisovan, Neandertal]

Science mag ^ | August 22, 2018 | Gretchen Vogel

[SunkenCiv]

The woman may have been just a teenager when she died more than 50,000 years ago, too young to have left much of a mark on her world. But a piece of one of her bones, unearthed in a cave in Russia's Denisova valley in 2012, may make her famous. Enough ancient DNA lingered within the 2-centimeter fragment to reveal her startling ancestry: She was the direct offspring of two different species of ancient humans -- neither of them ours. An analysis of the woman's genome, reported in this week's issue of Nature, indicates her mother was Neanderthal and her father was Denisovan, the mysterious group of ancient humans discovered in the same Siberian cave in 2011. It is the most direct evidence yet that various ancient humans mated with each other and had offspring.

Based on other ancient genomes, researchers already had concluded that Denisovans, Neanderthals, and modern humans interbred in ice age Europe and Asia. The genes of both archaic human species are present in many people today. Other fossils found in the Siberian cave have shown that all three species lived there at different times. But the new finding "is sensational" just the same, says Johannes Krause, who studies ancient DNA at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. "Now we have the love child of two different hominin groups, found where members of both groups have been found. It's quite a lot of things happening in one cave through time."

[SunkenCiv]

This bone fragment harbors the most direct evidence yet of ancient interspecies mating. [Thomas Higham, University Of Oxford]

[SunkenCiv]

I've got Neandertal and Denisovan ancestors, btw. In before some moron adds keywords indicating hatred of science.

[wbarmy]

If they can interbreed, then they are not separate species.

Separate species have different genetic codes, so it is impossible for them to breed.

Unless you are using the much less stringent idea of inability to interbreed due to chronological or physical barriers, i.e. time and space. (s)

[a fool in paradise]

>>An analysis of the woman’s genome, reported in this week’s issue of Nature, indicates her mother was Neanderthal and her father was Denisovan, the mysterious group of ancient humans discovered in the same Siberian cave in 2011. It is the most direct evidence yet that various ancient humans mated with each other and had offspring.

“science” magazine assumes her father was Denisovan. Maybe the breeding partner was but maybe her mother’s lifepartner was a transwoman. < /s >

[MUDDOG]

[dangus]

By definition, if they had fertile offspring, they were one species. In some cases, this indicates that populations that were once thought of separate species are one (Polar Bears and Grizzly bears, for instance.)

In this case, Neanderthals were already regarded as Homo Sapiens, as many humans have significant amount of Neanderthal in them (no joke) meaning that offspring of H Sapiens Sapiens and H Sapiens Neanderthalis were fertile.

I’m not sure what the news is here: “A 2013 comparison with the genome of another Neanderthal from the Denisova cave revealed local interbreeding with local Neanderthal DNA representing 17% of the Denisovan genome, and evidence of interbreeding with an as yet unidentified ancient human lineage.” [Wikipedia citing Pennisis (2003) in Science]

[eclecticEel]

They certainly wouldn’t be considered separate species if alive today.

[cdcdawg]

“The woman may have been just a teenager ...”

Did they just assume her gender? Wow, just wow. I can’t even. It’s 2018!

[Triple]

If they successfully mated with fertile offspring, they were the same species

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Wolves, dogs, and coyotes can interbreed but each is considered a separate species.
 

[Cowboy Bob]

The woman may have been just a teenager when she died more than 50,000 years ago, too young to have left much of a mark on her world.

That's a bit of a strange comment!

[outofsalt]

[Monkey Face]

If they can interbreed, then they are not separate species....

Indeed!


'Face

[mewzilla]

If they interbred and had fertile offspring, then they can’t be different species.

[Monkey Face]

Thanks, SC! Always interesting reads from you!

‘Face

[KarlInOhio]

If they can interbreed and produce fertile offspring , then they are not separate species.

Horses and donkeys are different species, but thry can still breed to make mules.

[ConservaTeen]

Now, how do they know it was a female?? Maybe she identified as a boy. Oh wait she had XX so it will be a female...

[I want the USA back]

Experts can tell, from a fragment of a bone, the SEX of the person. There are two: Male and Female. There is no stupid foolishness like a spectrum of 50,000 genders or other crap.

[central_va]

So there really was a middle earth.

[mindburglar]

Mules are sterile, as are hinneys.