DNA genome of an unknown hominin from southern Siberia

Krause, J., Q. Fu, et al. (2010). “The complete mitochondrial DNA genome of an unknown hominin from southern Siberia.” Nature advance online publication.

This article is very interesting and also covered by Anthropology.net and Prancing Papio.  I believe the research findings presented in this article provide an interesting perspective on the human evolution and genetic diversity existed in the past.

The complete mitochondrial DNA genome of the fossil remain from Denisova Cave in the Altai region of Russia dated to 48 to 30 kyr ago was analyzed.  Their results of analyses show that the Denisova individual was genetically very different from Neanderthals or modern humans.  An average of nucleotide position differences was 385 between the Denisova individual and modern human, which is about twice as many difference between Neanderthals and modern human (202 positions) (Figure 2).

The phylogenetic treesof complete mtDNA show that the ancestors of the Denisova individual sprit from the ancestors of Neanderthals and modern human, before archaic human lineages began diverge (Figure 3).  TMRCA of all three lineages is about one million years ago (mean=1,04,900 with 95% C.I. ranging 779,300-1,313,500).

So, who is this Denisova individual?  Home erectus left Africa and around 1.9 myr ago and was in Asia by 1.7 myr ago, so the Denisova individual was probably not H. erectus (TMRC of three lineages is about one myr ago.  That is after H. erectus spread into East Asia).  If the Denisova is H. erectus much older TMRCA is expected (> 1.9 myr?).  Homo heidelbergensis, probable ancestors of Neantherthals, emerged after divergence of three lineages.  However, since the 95% C.I. of TMRCA slightly overlaps with the time that H. heidelbergensis existed, so we cannot reject the hypothesis of the Denisova individual = a descendant of H. heidelbergenesis, but if H. heidelbergenesis were ancestors of Neanderthals, the ancestors of Neanderthals and the Denisova individual were genetically quit different.

The findings from this project generally support Huff et al. (2010) and these two projects have shown that great genetic diversity existed in the past (> 30,000 years ago).  It is very interesting that there were many species or subspecies of Home may have co-existed in some parts of the world.  Around time the Denisova individual lived, there is also possible existence of Neanderthal and anatomically modern human in the area (Don’t forget H. erectus existed in East Asia about same time).  However, only anatomically modern human survived and others disappeared without leaving clear genetic evidence of ancient admixture.

Update (April 1, 2010)

I forgot about H. ergaster and that is another possibility in addition to H. heidelbergensis.  If we believe that Asian H. erectus was a different species from African H. ergaster who were direct ancestors of H. heidelbergenesis, H. neanderthalensis, and H. sapiens, the Denisova individual could be a descendant of H. ergaster who took very different evolutionary path from Neanderthals and Anatomically modern human.  The 95% C.I. of TMRCA (1.-0.7) also slightly overlap with the time H. ergaster existed in East Africa (1.8-1.3 mya).  If we believe this scenario, first there was an out of Africa event of H. erectus into Asia and then another out of Africa event of H. ergaster into Western Eurasia.  However, TMRCA is too young for Asian H. erectus and all others to share the common ancestor that recent, so mtDNA of the Denisova individual is not that of H. erectus.  Of course, we are talking about only maternal side of evolutionary history.

Updata (April 3, 2010)

I considered the possibility of an unsampled Neanderthal, but I thought that the TMRCA is too old, considering that Neanderthals analyzed so far is genetically not diverse and effects of drift affecting mtDNA is strong because of small effective population size of mtDNA.  If, in fact, the Denisova individual was a Neanderthal, Neanderthal was genetically much more diverse than many genetic researchers thought and phylogenetic tree suggests that Neanderthals were ancestors of modern human.   Judging from the genetic evidence we have, this is unlikely scenario.  Of course, we should not conclude that the Denisova individual was not Neanderthals, because we do not know enough about this individual or human evolution.