Ancient Teeth Reveal Homo Erectus DNA | Science News

Scientists in China have cracked a major evolutionary mystery by extracting molecular data from ancient Homo erectus teeth—some 400,000 years old—using a revolutionary acid etching technique that preserves fossil integrity. The discovery of two key genetic mutations—one unique to this group and another previously thought exclusive to Denisovans—suggests Homo erectus may have passed genes to Denisovans, who then interbred with early modern humans. This breakthrough not only traces a deep genetic link between East Asian Homo erectus, Denisovans, and us—but also introduces powerful new tools for paleoproteomics, enabling sex determination and multi-method validation of ancient human DNA. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/82f4743878a9c108