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Revealed: the cavemen that live on in all of us
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THiS WEEk at a meeting of the American Association for Physical Anthropologists in April. His team found evidence that Eurasians acquired genetic diversity from breeding with other Homo species after they left Africa. They also noticed a spike in genetic diversity in Indo-Pacific peoples, dating to around 40,000 years ago. This time, it’s unlikely the diversity came from H. sapiens getting it on with Neanderthals, who never travelled that far south. That leaves a number of candidates, including Homo erectus and species related to Homo floresiensis, a small species which lived on an Indonesian island until about 13,000 years ago. Neither Pääbo nor Long were –Meet the ancestor– able to show that when humans arrived in Europe they mixed with Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. resident Neanderthals, but archaeological finds tell a different They reported last week that the story, says Zilhão. In Portugal, his genome of humans today is roughly 1 to 4 per cent Neanderthal team discovered the 25,000-year(Science, vol 328, p 710). This holds old bones of a child they are convinced is a human-Neanderthal true for all non-Africans, hybrid. Zilhão says fossils from suggesting that H. sapiens and around 100,000 years ago and Romania and the Czech Republic Neanderthals interbred sometime Ewen Callaway swept aside all other Homo species between 100,000 and 45,000 also bear Neanderthal features, A LONG-awaited rough draft of the as they made their way around the years ago, after the first humans though others dispute this. Neanderthal genome has revealed globe. “It was a very simple story,” left Africa but before they split Moreover, decorative artefacts that our own DNA contains clear says João Zilhão at the University characteristic of humans have into regional populations. evidence that early humans of Bristol, UK. “Its simplicity Another genetic study confirms cropped up at Neanderthal sites, interbred with Neanderthals. suggested it would not be true.” this. Jeffrey Long at the University dated to around the time of Such interminglings have been A more likely scenario is that as contact with humans in Africa of New Mexico in Albuquerque suspected in the past, but there’s H. sapiens migrated, they met and the Middle East. Further east, presented results from nearly more: Neanderthals were probably and interbred with other Homo 40,000-year-old human bones 100 modern human populations not the only other Homo species species that have all since died out. from a cave near Beijing, China, early Homo sapiens mixed with. The first definitive evidence of ª Eurasians acquired genetic have features that recall other These findings call into interbreeding comes from Svante diversity from breeding Homo species, says Erik Trinkaus with other Homo species question the familiar story that Pääbo’s team at the Max Planck of Washington University in St after they left Africa” modern humans left Africa Institute for Evolutionary Louis, Missouri. In March, Pääbo’s team reported the discovery of DNA from a A rich genetic heritage hominin that is probably neither Many humans are descended from an intermingling with other hominin species human nor Neanderthal that lived 50,000 to 30,000 years ago in a Neanderthals cave in southern Siberia. They Common ancestor Neanderthal ancestors Possible human-Neanderthal hybrids Possible human-Neanderthal hybrid found in dubbed the creature X-woman, lives in Africa move north found in Romania and Czech Republic Portugal around the time Neanderthals go extinct and sequencing machines are already decoding its genome, says Pääbo’s colleague Ed Green of the 100,000 years ago 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 500,000 University of California, Santa Cruz. Could X-woman or its kind Homo sapiens Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbreed Homo sapiens interbreeds with other have bred with humans, too? moves north in the eastern Mediterranean Homo species in Indo-Pacific region Homo sapiens “Stay tuned,” Green says. n
Modern humans' Neanderthal origins
8 | NewScientist | 15 May 2010
THiS WEEk at a meeting of the American Association for Physical Anthropologists in April. His team found evidence that Eurasians acquired genetic diversity from breeding with other Homo species after they left Africa. They also noticed a spike in genetic diversity in Indo-Pacific peoples, dating to around 40,000 years ago. This time, it’s unlikely the diversity came from H. sapiens getting it on with Neanderthals, who never travelled that far south. That leaves a number of candidates, including Homo erectus and species related to Homo floresiensis, a small species which lived on an Indonesian island until about 13,000 years ago. Neither Pääbo nor Long were –Meet the ancestor– able to show that when humans arrived in Europe they mixed with Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. resident Neanderthals, but archaeological finds tell a different They reported last week that the story, says Zilhão. In Portugal, his genome of humans today is roughly 1 to 4 per cent Neanderthal team discovered the 25,000-year(Science, vol 328, p 710). This holds old bones of a child they are convinced is a human-Neanderthal true for all non-Africans, hybrid. Zilhão says fossils from suggesting that H. sapiens and around 100,000 years ago and Romania and the Czech Republic Neanderthals interbred sometime Ewen Callaway swept aside all other Homo species between 100,000 and 45,000 also bear Neanderthal features, A LONG-awaited rough draft of the as they made their way around the years ago, after the first humans though others dispute this. Neanderthal genome has revealed globe. “It was a very simple story,” left Africa but before they split Moreover, decorative artefacts that our own DNA contains clear says João Zilhão at the University characteristic of humans have into regional populations. evidence that early humans of Bristol, UK. “Its simplicity Another genetic study confirms cropped up at Neanderthal sites, interbred with Neanderthals. suggested it would not be true.” this. Jeffrey Long at the University dated to around the time of Such interminglings have been A more likely scenario is that as contact with humans in Africa of New Mexico in Albuquerque suspected in the past, but there’s H. sapiens migrated, they met and the Middle East. Further east, presented results from nearly more: Neanderthals were probably and interbred with other Homo 40,000-year-old human bones 100 modern human populations not the only other Homo species species that have all since died out. from a cave near Beijing, China, early Homo sapiens mixed with. The first definitive evidence of ª Eurasians acquired genetic have features that recall other These findings call into interbreeding comes from Svante diversity from breeding Homo species, says Erik Trinkaus with other Homo species question the familiar story that Pääbo’s team at the Max Planck of Washington University in St after they left Africa” modern humans left Africa Institute for Evolutionary Louis, Missouri. In March, Pääbo’s team reported the discovery of DNA from a A rich genetic heritage hominin that is probably neither Many humans are descended from an intermingling with other hominin species human nor Neanderthal that lived 50,000 to 30,000 years ago in a Neanderthals cave in southern Siberia. They Common ancestor Neanderthal ancestors Possible human-Neanderthal hybrids Possible human-Neanderthal hybrid found in dubbed the creature X-woman, lives in Africa move north found in Romania and Czech Republic Portugal around the time Neanderthals go extinct and sequencing machines are already decoding its genome, says Pääbo’s colleague Ed Green of the 100,000 years ago 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 500,000 University of California, Santa Cruz. Could X-woman or its kind Homo sapiens Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbreed Homo sapiens interbreeds with other have bred with humans, too? moves north in the eastern Mediterranean Homo species in Indo-Pacific region Homo sapiens “Stay tuned,” Green says. n
Modern humans' Neanderthal origins
8 | NewScientist | 15 May 2010