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How deep are the roots of the Denisovan lineage, and how many distinct Denisovan populations were there?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·3 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: the lineage goes back about a million years and comprised several deeply diverged regional populations,…Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. The lineage goes back about a million years and comprised several deeply diverged regional populations,… leads, with evidence 3 for: supported by its tests. Two are still possible.

Why it matters

Living people carry DNA from at least three Denisovan groups, and the fossils now span about a million years if Yunxian belongs⁠[1]⁠[2]. This is what remains open after the identity question.

Answers 3

Evidence: 3 for
Most likely
Evidence: 1 against
Disputed
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible

History

  1. Jacobs et al.: papuans carry two deeply divergent Denisovan components.For: The lineage goes back about a million years and comprised several deeply diverged regional populations,…
  2. Jacobs et al.: introgressed Denisovan ancestry in living people comes from distinct, deeply diverged sources.Against: Denisovans were a single, relatively recent population that spread across Asia in the late Middle Pleistocene.
  3. Peyrégne et al. puts forward: the lineage goes back about a million years and comprised several deeply diverged regional populations,…
  4. Peyrégne et al.: at least three Denisovan groups contributed to living people; Oceanians and South Asians share a deeply…For: The lineage goes back about a million years and comprised several deeply diverged regional populations,…
  5. Feng et al.: yunxian 2 places as an early member of the longi clade on morphometrics.For: The lineage goes back about a million years and comprised several deeply diverged regional populations,…
  6. Asked on this site
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