小柯机器人

德国马克斯·普朗克进化人类学研究所Matthias Meyer、Elena I. Zavala和澳大利亚卧龙岗大学Richard G. Roberts、Zenobia Jacobs研究组合作在研究中取得进展。他们的研究利用更新世沉积物中的DNA揭示了丹尼索瓦洞穴古人类和动物群的变迁。该研究于2021年6月23日发表于国际流学术期刊《自然》杂志上。

研究人员揭示了丹尼索瓦洞穴中728个沉积物样本的DNA分析，这些样本以网格状方式从更新世时期的地址层中收集。研究人员分别从685个和175个样本中检索了古代动物群和古人类的线粒体 (mt) DNA。人mtDNA的最早证据来自丹尼索瓦人，并且与沉积在约250,000至170,000年的旧石器时代中期的早期石器有关。尼安德特人的mtDNA首次在这一时期末被发现。

研究人员检测到丹尼索瓦人的mtDNA发生了变化，这与动物群mtDNA的组成变化相吻合，并且有证据表明丹尼索瓦人和尼安德特人反复占领该地点并可能一直持续存在，至少 从45,000年前的旧石器时代晚期开始直到现代人类mtDNA在沉积物中出现。 

据悉，西伯利亚南部的丹尼索瓦洞穴是丹尼索瓦人的典型聚居地，丹尼索瓦人是与尼安德特人有亲缘关系的古人类群体。从沉积物中挖掘的十二具古人类遗骸不仅包括尼安德特人还包括尼安德特人和丹尼索瓦人的孩子，这表明丹尼索瓦洞穴是这些古老人类交融的区域。然而，这些群体出现在该遗址的顺序、人类占领的时间和环境背景以及特定人群与考古集合关联仍然存在不确定性。

附：英文原文

Title: Pleistocene sediment DNA reveals hominin and faunal turnovers at Denisova Cave

Author: Elena I. Zavala, Zenobia Jacobs, Benjamin Vernot, Michael V. Shunkov, Maxim B. Kozlikin, Anatoly P. Derevianko, Elena Essel, Cesare de Fillipo, Sarah Nagel, Julia Richter, Frdric Romagn, Anna Schmidt, Bo Li, Kieran OGorman, Viviane Slon, Janet Kelso, Svante Pbo, Richard G. Roberts, Matthias Meyer

Issue&Volume: 2021-06-23

Abstract: Denisova Cave in southern Siberia is the type locality of the Denisovans, an archaic hominin group who were related to Neanderthals1,2,3,4. The dozen hominin remains recovered from the deposits also include Neanderthals5,6 and the child of a Neanderthal and a Denisovan7, which suggests that Denisova Cave was a contact zone between these archaic hominins. However, uncertainties persist about the order in which these groups appeared at the site, the timing and environmental context of hominin occupation, and the association of particular hominin groups with archaeological assemblages5,8,9,10,11. Here we report the analysis of DNA from 728 sediment samples that were collected in a grid-like manner from layers dating to the Pleistocene epoch. We retrieved ancient faunal and hominin mitochondrial (mt)DNA from 685 and 175 samples, respectively. The earliest evidence for hominin mtDNA is of Denisovans, and is associated with early Middle Palaeolithic stone tools that were deposited approximately 250,000 to 170,000 years ago; Neanderthal mtDNA first appears towards the end of this period. We detect a turnover in the mtDNA of Denisovans that coincides with changes in the composition of faunal mtDNA, and evidence that Denisovans and Neanderthals occupied the site repeatedly—possibly until, or after, the onset of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic at least 45,000 years ago, when modern human mtDNA is first recorded in the sediments.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03675-0

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03675-0#Sec6

Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504
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