Discovery of Oldest DNA Scrambles Human Origins Picture

Scientists reveal the surprising genetic identity of early human remains from roughly 400,000 years ago in Spain. The bones were first thought to belong to European Neanderthals, but analysis showed they are genetically closer to the Siberian Denisovans. Analysis of the bones challenges conventional thinking about the geographical spread of our ancient cousins, the early human species called Neanderthals and Denisovans. Until now, these sister families of early humans were thought to have resided in prehistoric Europe and Siberia, respectively. (See also: "The New Age of Exploration.") But paleontologists write in a new study that the bones of what they thought were European Neanderthals appear genetically closer to the Siberian Denisovans, as shown by maternally inherited "mitochondrial" DNA found in a fossil thighbone uncovered at Spain's Sima de los Huesos cave. "The fact that they show a mitochondrial genome sequence similar to that of Denisovans is irritating," says Matthias Meyer of Germany's Max Planck Institute