Using hominin introgression to trace modern human dispersals
- PMID:31300536
- PMCID: PMC6681743
- DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1904824116
Using hominin introgression to trace modern human dispersals
Abstract
The dispersal of anatomically modern human populations out of Africa and across much of the rest of the world around 55 to 50 thousand years before present (ka) is recorded genetically by the multiple hominin groups they met and interbred with along the way, including the Neandertals and Denisovans. The signatures of these introgression events remain preserved in the genomes of modern-day populations, and provide a powerful record of the sequence and timing of these early migrations, with Asia proving a particularly complex area. At least 3 different hominin groups appear to have been involved in Asia, of which only the Denisovans are currently known. Several interbreeding events are inferred to have taken place east of Wallace's Line, consistent with archaeological evidence of widespread and early hominin presence in the area. However, archaeological and fossil evidence indicates archaic hominins had not spread as far as the Sahul continent (New Guinea, Australia, and Tasmania), where recent genetic evidence remains enigmatic.
Keywords: anthropology; archaic introgression; genetics; human evolution.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Figures



Similar articles
- Archaic hominin introgression into modern human genomes.Gokcumen O.Gokcumen O.Am J Phys Anthropol. 2020 May;171 Suppl 70:60-73. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.23951. Epub 2019 Nov 8.Am J Phys Anthropol. 2020.PMID:31702050Review.
- Widespread Denisovan ancestry in Island Southeast Asia but no evidence of substantial super-archaic hominin admixture.Teixeira JC, Jacobs GS, Stringer C, Tuke J, Hudjashov G, Purnomo GA, Sudoyo H, Cox MP, Tobler R, Turney CSM, Cooper A, Helgen KM.Teixeira JC, et al.Nat Ecol Evol. 2021 May;5(5):616-624. doi: 10.1038/s41559-021-01408-0. Epub 2021 Mar 22.Nat Ecol Evol. 2021.PMID:33753899
- On the origin of modern humans: Asian perspectives.Bae CJ, Douka K, Petraglia MD.Bae CJ, et al.Science. 2017 Dec 8;358(6368):eaai9067. doi: 10.1126/science.aai9067.Science. 2017.PMID:29217544Review.
- Human Genetic Research in Wallacea and Sahul: Recent Findings and Future Prospects.Taufik L, Teixeira JC, Llamas B, Sudoyo H, Tobler R, Purnomo GA.Taufik L, et al.Genes (Basel). 2022 Dec 16;13(12):2373. doi: 10.3390/genes13122373.Genes (Basel). 2022.PMID:36553640Free PMC article.Review.
- Hominin evolution and gene flow in the Pleistocene Africa.Ovchinnikov IV.Ovchinnikov IV.Anthropol Anz. 2013;70(2):221-7. doi: 10.1127/0003-5548/2013/0313.Anthropol Anz. 2013.PMID:23980394
Cited by
- The role of genetic selection and climatic factors in the dispersal of anatomically modern humans out of Africa.Tobler R, Souilmi Y, Huber CD, Bean N, Turney CSM, Grey ST, Cooper A.Tobler R, et al.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 May 30;120(22):e2213061120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2213061120. Epub 2023 May 23.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023.PMID:37220274Free PMC article.
- South Asia: The Missing Diverse in Diversity.Dokuru DR, Horwitz TB, Freis SM, Stallings MC, Ehringer MA.Dokuru DR, et al.Behav Genet. 2024 Jan;54(1):51-62. doi: 10.1007/s10519-023-10161-y. Epub 2023 Nov 2.Behav Genet. 2024.PMID:37917228Free PMC article.Review.
- Skeletal remains of a Pleistocene modern human (Homo sapiens) from Sulawesi.Brumm A, Bulbeck D, Hakim B, Burhan B, Oktaviana AA, Sumantri I, Zhao JX, Aubert M, Sardi R, McGahan D, Saiful AM, Adhityatama S, Kaifu Y.Brumm A, et al.PLoS One. 2021 Sep 29;16(9):e0257273. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257273. eCollection 2021.PLoS One. 2021.PMID:34587195Free PMC article.
- Denisovan admixture facilitated environmental adaptation in Papua New Guinean populations.Yermakovich D, André M, Brucato N, Kariwiga J, Leavesley M, Pankratov V, Mondal M, Ricaut FX, Dannemann M.Yermakovich D, et al.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Jun 25;121(26):e2405889121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2405889121. Epub 2024 Jun 18.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024.PMID:38889149Free PMC article.
- Papua New Guinean Genomes Reveal the Complex Settlement of North Sahul.Brucato N, André M, Tsang R, Saag L, Kariwiga J, Sesuki K, Beni T, Pomat W, Muke J, Meyer V, Boland A, Deleuze JF, Sudoyo H, Mondal M, Pagani L, Gallego Romero I, Metspalu M, Cox MP, Leavesley M, Ricaut FX.Brucato N, et al.Mol Biol Evol. 2021 Oct 27;38(11):5107-5121. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msab238.Mol Biol Evol. 2021.PMID:34383935Free PMC article.
References
- Skoglund P., Mathieson I., Ancient genomics of modern humans: The first decade. Annu. Rev. Genomics Hum. Genet. 19, 381–404 (2018). - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Related information
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Miscellaneous