Denisovans

Denisovans interbred with modern humans, with a high percentage (roughly 5%) of Denisovan DNA occurring in Melanesians, Aboriginal Australians, and Filipino Negritos. In contrast, 0.2% derives from Denisovan ancestry in mainland Asians and Native Americans. In a 2018 study, South Asians were found to have levels of Denisovan admixture similar to that seen in East Asians. Another study found that the highest Denisovan ancestry is inferred in Oceanians (~2.0%), while most populations of Native Americans, East Asians, and South Asians have similar amounts (~0.1%). This suggests Denisovan populations were distributed across Asia. Evidence also suggests that there was interbreeding with the Altai Neanderthal population, with about 17% of the Denisovan genome from Denisova Cave deriving from them. A first-generation hybrid nicknamed "Denny" was discovered with a Denisovan father and a Neanderthal mother. Additionally, 4% of the Denisovan genome comes from admixture with Asian Homo erectus (also known as Peking Man) which diverged from Denisovans, Neanderthals and modern humans over one million years ago.