This concludes a study by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), in which the University of Oviedo and the Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology of the Max Planck Institute have also participated.
The research reveals that this species was distributed in small groups far apart and with slight genetic differences.
The work, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), analyzes the exome of several Neanderthal individuals and a Denisovan from three different regions : El Sidrón cave, in Asturias; the Vindija cave, in Croatia, and the Denisova cave, in Siberia.
The exome of the Neanderthals together with that of the Denisova individual has made it possible to identify the derivative amino acid changes shared by these archaic hominins and that do not occur, or hardly do, in modern humans , according to the CSIC researcher, Antonio Rosas, of the National Museum of Natural Sciences: “These results open the door to identify the genetic basis of the phenotypic changes produced in evolutionary processes,” says Rosas, who has pointed out that the slight genetic differences between Neanderthal populations could be due to the fact that the relationships Inbreeding could be more common than at present.
The study addresses for the first time the identification of genes potentially responsible for physical changes in archaic hominids and recent humans. Comparison of the fossil exomes with those of various modern humans from Africa, Europe and Asia shows that the common Denisovan and Neanderthal lineage accumulated numerous mutations in the genes that control the shape of the skeleton (face, palate, occiput, thorax, limbs) , hair distribution, metabolism and cardiovascular system.
“The changes that specifically affect the Neanderthal lineage, after separating from the Denisovans, have to do with genes related to hyperlordosis or increased curvature of the spine. It is known from comparative anatomy studies that Neanderthals had a reduced lumbar curvature.
On the contrary, in the Homo sapiens lineage, the genetic change is mainly concentrated in certain genes involved in behavior and skin pigmentation ”, according to Rosas. The research reveals that throughout the evolutionary process, mutations in genes that affect aggressiveness and hyperactivity have occurred in the sapiens lineage, although it is still unknown whether these genetic changes have increased or reduced the levels of these behavioral patterns.
