A research team led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) has identified the most widespread genetic contribution by Denisovans to date. The study reveals that the genetic variant observed, which affects zinc regulation, could have signified an evolutionary advantage in our ancestors’ adaptation to the cold. The study, published by PLoS Genetics, also reveals that this genetic adaptation may have predisposed modern humans to neuropsychiatric disorders.
Modern humans left Africa some 60,000 years ago in the event known as “Out-of-Africa.” In Asia, they coincided with the Denisovans, and that encounter may have led to confrontations and collaborations, but also various crossbreeding. In fact, even today modern humans retain genetic variants of Denisovan origin in our genome, which are testimony to those initial interactions.
Now, a team led by…
