An early human species – the Denisovans – who went extinct 25,000 years ago – lived across more of the world than was thought, according to new research by a UCD-based archaeologist.
Meaghan Mackie, a third year PhD candidate from Canada who plans to stay in Ireland after conferral, analysed proteins taken from an ancient human skeletal remains found in Taiwan, and confirmed it was a Denisovan.
“My job was in data generation,” said Ms Mackie, whose findings were published with a team of international scientists in the leading journal Science last week. “I processed some of the protein extracts from the teeth and mandible for mass spectrometry – which is the method that we used to sequence the proteins so we can identify them. The data I generated was then able to confirm the species as a Denisovan.”
Ms Mackie is an expert in palaeoproteomics – the field of science which analyses proteins present in ancient remains such as bone, teeth, hair and skin. She plans to adapt this approach to study Irish diets in Neolithic times, 4,500 to 6,000 years ago, when people began using polished stone weapons and tools.
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Unlike early Homo sapiens and the Neanderthals, it is extremely rare to find Denisovan remains. Much of what is known about the species comes from studies of remains found in the Denisova Cave in Siberia in 2008 and reported by the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Finding Denisovan remains in Taiwan, far from Siberia, was significant.
“We were able to confirm with protein sequencing that an ancient mandible called Penghu 1 from Taiwan was a Denisovan individual, increasing the known range by about 2,000km and the first time from a warmer and humid climate,” Ms Mackie added.
“This wide geographic and environmental range from Siberia to the coast of Taiwan shows the great adaptability of the species, which is important for understanding our own evolution as we share this trait.”
Scientists believe the Denisovans, like the Neanderthals, interbred with Homo sapiens and their DNA still resides among human populations today.
“There is genetic evidence that some people in modern day Asia do carry a small percentage of Denisovan genes from interactions between the two species in the past; similar to how many Europeans have small amounts of Neanderthal DNA,” Ms Mackie said.
The reason for Denisovan extinction is difficult to answer because only 14 fragments of their remains have been found, she said. One idea is that they suffered in competition with Homo sapiens and the Neanderthals. “This may be a cause, but there are probably also environmental reasons and maybe even diseases that caused them to die out.”
Despite human adaptability and technology there may be lessons for modern humans from the Denisovan extinction, she said. “You can be really adaptable, but things can happen out of your control that really have nothing to do with your genetics.”
