Study determines that Neanderthals, Densisovians met and bred with super-archaic ancestors of humans

In a study published in “Science Advances” on Feb. 20, 2020, researchers focused on the behaviors of Denosovians and Neanderthals – looking approximately 700,000 years ago- to learn about the human-like beings that may have mated with the distant ancestors of present-day humans.

This new narrative doesn’t discount that Homo Sapiens migrated to Eurasia from Africa and then interbred with Neanderthals and Denosovians, ultimately replacing them, but it looks at what happened before the common narrative.

Typically, researchers look about 50,000 years back into the past, but this study looked at the DNA of the Denosovians and the Neanderthals and determined that there was another species – the Neandersovians which met and mated with ancient humans who were already living in Eurasia, after leaving Africa. Researchers Alan R. Rogers, Nathan S. Harris, and Alan A. Achenbach studied the DNA sequences of modern Africans and Europeans, as well as Neanderthals and Denisovans.

“We provide qualified support for the view that Neanderthals interbred with the ancestors of modern humans,” the study said.   

Researchers focused on DNA variations to find that two distantly-related ancestors of human beings, including a group of ancient humans who were already in Eurasia, had mated, and eventually the ancient humans who had been there first were replaced by those who had moved from Africa to Eurasia. Then the different groups of beings moved into their own groups. Those who were already there and were  replaced by the Neandersovians are often called super-archaics.

The super-archaics and the Neandersovians may be very distantly related, this study reveals. Rogers notes that there is evidence of ancient inbreeding in the genes of people who are living now, but how that happened is a complex question.