Latest on Neanderthal DNA

[RonO]

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi1768

The article seems to be open access.

The article claims to be able to identify the origin of fragments of DNA
in the ancient and extant genomes that have been sequenced. Neanderthal
and Denisovan genomes show evidence of past introgressions with other
Homo populations. The Denisovans seem to have interbred with a
population of Homo that left Africa around a half a million years before
them. Neanderthals apparently interbred with humans from Africa around
250,000 years ago. Some extant modern humans are descendants of hybrids
with Denisovans and have bits of Denisovan DNA and the more archaic Homo
genome. All of the extant humans descended from those that left Africa
around 60,000 years ago have bits of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes as
well as bits of DNA from the previous migration out of Africa (250,000
years ago) that we got from Neanderthals.

They have a time line based on their reanalysis of archaic and extant
genomes.

Neanderthals and Denisovans left Africa around 600,000 years ago.
Previous estimates range from 500,000 to 800,000 years ago.

At some point the Denisovans interbred with a population of Homo that
they met in Asia.

Modern humans ventured out of Africa around 250,000 years ago and
interbred with Neanderthals, but the African humans population died out
or was incorporated into the Neanderthal population. Previous estimates
of this interbreeding event have been between 200,000 and 500,000 years
from my recollections.

Modern humans left Africa and interbred with Neanderthals 50,000 to
60,000 years ago. The extant modern human populations that made it out
of Africa have a couple percent Neanderthal DNA and some of this
Neanderthal DNA is the 250,000 year old bits from a previous out of
Africa migration.

There is fossil DNA evidence for other African humans interbreeding with
Neanderthal between 60,000 and 250,000 years ago and since the
interbreeding 60,000 years ago, but these instances seem to be dead ends
that haven't left evidence in extant populations.

Ron Okimoto

[RonO]

Post by RonO
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi1768
The article seems to be open access.
The article claims to be able to identify the origin of fragments of DNA
in the ancient and extant genomes that have been sequenced.  Neanderthal
and Denisovan genomes show evidence of past introgressions with other
Homo populations.  The Denisovans seem to have interbred with a
population of Homo that left Africa around a half a million years before
them.  Neanderthals apparently interbred with humans from Africa around
250,000 years ago.  Some extant modern humans are descendants of hybrids
with Denisovans and have bits of Denisovan DNA and the more archaic Homo
genome.  All of the extant humans descended from those that left Africa
around 60,000 years ago have bits of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes as
well as bits of DNA from the previous migration out of Africa (250,000
years ago) that we got from Neanderthals.
They have a time line based on their reanalysis of archaic and extant
genomes.
Neanderthals and Denisovans left Africa around 600,000 years ago.
Previous estimates range from 500,000 to 800,000 years ago.
At some point the Denisovans interbred with a population of Homo that
they met in Asia.
Modern humans ventured out of Africa around 250,000 years ago and
interbred with Neanderthals, but the African humans population died out
or was incorporated into the Neanderthal population.  Previous estimates
of this interbreeding event have been between 200,000 and 500,000 years
from my recollections.
Modern humans left Africa and interbred with Neanderthals 50,000 to
60,000 years ago.  The extant modern human populations that made it out
of Africa have a couple percent Neanderthal DNA and some of this
Neanderthal DNA is the 250,000 year old bits from a previous out of
Africa migration.
There is fossil DNA evidence for other African humans interbreeding with
Neanderthal between 60,000 and 250,000 years ago and since the
interbreeding 60,000 years ago, but these instances seem to be dead ends
that haven't left evidence in extant populations.
Ron Okimoto

Science Daily has an overhyped article on this study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240711215541.htm

Title: 'A history of contact': Geneticists are rewriting the narrative
of Neanderthals and other ancient humans

As far as I can tell nothing has been rewritten. All the authors have
done is refine the timing of events that were already proposed to have
happened. Their estimates also seem to fall within the range given by
previous papers that are cited by these authors.

Ron Okimoto

[John Harshman]

Post by RonO

Post by RonO
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi1768
The article seems to be open access.
The article claims to be able to identify the origin of fragments of
DNA in the ancient and extant genomes that have been sequenced.
Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes show evidence of past introgressions
with other Homo populations.  The Denisovans seem to have interbred
with a population of Homo that left Africa around a half a million
years before them.  Neanderthals apparently interbred with humans from
Africa around 250,000 years ago.  Some extant modern humans are
descendants of hybrids with Denisovans and have bits of Denisovan DNA
and the more archaic Homo genome.  All of the extant humans descended
from those that left Africa around 60,000 years ago have bits of
Neanderthal DNA in their genomes as well as bits of DNA from the
previous migration out of Africa (250,000 years ago) that we got from
Neanderthals.
They have a time line based on their reanalysis of archaic and extant
genomes.
Neanderthals and Denisovans left Africa around 600,000 years ago.
Previous estimates range from 500,000 to 800,000 years ago.
At some point the Denisovans interbred with a population of Homo that
they met in Asia.
Modern humans ventured out of Africa around 250,000 years ago and
interbred with Neanderthals, but the African humans population died
out or was incorporated into the Neanderthal population.  Previous
estimates of this interbreeding event have been between 200,000 and
500,000 years from my recollections.
Modern humans left Africa and interbred with Neanderthals 50,000 to
60,000 years ago.  The extant modern human populations that made it
out of Africa have a couple percent Neanderthal DNA and some of this
Neanderthal DNA is the 250,000 year old bits from a previous out of
Africa migration.
There is fossil DNA evidence for other African humans interbreeding
with Neanderthal between 60,000 and 250,000 years ago and since the
interbreeding 60,000 years ago, but these instances seem to be dead
ends that haven't left evidence in extant populations.
Ron Okimoto

Science Daily has an overhyped article on this study.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240711215541.htm
Title: 'A history of contact': Geneticists are rewriting the narrative
of Neanderthals and other ancient humans
As far as I can tell nothing has been rewritten.  All the authors have
done is refine the timing of events that were already proposed to have
happened.  Their estimates also seem to fall within the range given by
previous papers that are cited by these authors.

You have to overhype or you don't get into Science. They obviously
didn't overhype enough or they would have got into Nature.