Papuan Ancestry: Denisovans + Introgressed Modern Humans
Recent genomics (ASHG2025 meeting abstract) reveals that Papuans carry functional archaic (likely Denisovan) centromeres — highly unusual, since centromeres rarely introgress between species.
Key insights:
Centromere
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Papuan Ancestry: Denisovans + Introgressed Modern Humans
Recent genomics (ASHG2025 meeting abstract) reveals that Papuans carry functional archaic (likely Denisovan) centromeres — highly unusual, since centromeres rarely introgress between species.
Key insights:
Centromere introgression is usually blocked in hybrids (e.g., no Neanderthal centromeres in modern humans) due to functional incompatibility.
Papuan centromeres suggest continuity: they are direct descendants of Denisovan-like humans, with some later admixture from modern humans.
MGD perspective: higher-precision genes (modern humans) can be integrated into lower-precision genomes (Denisovan-derived), but not vice versa. This explains why Papuans can carry some modern centromeres without incompatibility.
Takeaway:
Papuan genomes reflect Denisovan continuity + limited modern human admixture, not typical introgression of archaic genomes into modern humans. Centromere compatibility supports the idea of asymmetric genetic integration guided by gene precision and organismal complexity (MGD theory). The centromere finding, together with the observation of 40 fold higher Denisovan ancestry in Papuans compared to other Eurasian groups, vindicates our 2017 conclusion that on the Papuan-Denisovan connection. https://t.co/cIDMkI5hzP
ASHG2025 abstract https://t.co/0kRKuLbK6L
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