Genomic analyses of modern Central and Southeast Asian populations reveal the presence of multiple Denisovan populations
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1More than a decade ago, the sequencing of Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes revealed that the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa involved episodes of admixture with archaic hominins already established in Eurasia. Present-day non-African populations inherited around 2% of their genome from Neanderthals, whereas Denisovan ancestry is absent in Europeans and only detected at low levels in Asians, with the highest proportions found in Oceanians. While the Neanderthal presence across Eurasia is well documented through abundant fossil remains, the geographic range of Denisovans remains far less understood.
2For a long time, their presence was only attested in the Altai Mountains, where the first Denisovan genome was sequenced, and on the Tibetan Plateau. However, recent paleoanthropological findings have shown that Denisovans were present not only in the Altai Mountains and on the Tibetan Plateau (Baishiya), mainland China (Harbin) and even Taiwan (Pengu).
3To refine our understanding of Denisovans, we investigated their genetic legacy in present-day populations of Central and Southeast Asia, two regions that remain largely underexplored compared to East Asia and Oceania. Using genome-wide analyses, we show that Denisovan ancestry in these populations is generally below 1% and results from multiple admixture events involving genetically distinct Denisovan groups, with varying affinities to the Altai Denisovan genome. These findings indicate that as modern humans dispersed across Asia, they interacted with different Denisovan populations, reflecting a complex mosaic of mobility and contact across the continent. By combining the genetic legacy of Denisovans in the modern human genomes and paleoanthropological records, we aim to refine our understanding of Denisovan population structure.
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Charlotte Antoine-Derouet, Céline Bon, Raphaëlle Chaix, Evelyne Heyer, Romain Laurent, Florent Détroit et Bruno Toupance, « Genomic analyses of modern Central and Southeast Asian populations reveal the presence of multiple Denisovan populations », Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris [En ligne], 38(S) | 2026, mis en ligne le 15 décembre 2025, consulté le 07 mars 2026. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/16582 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/15hh5
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