Mysterious Denisovan Genes Found in Native Americans

Scientists have discovered Denisovan genes in Native Americans, providing new evidence that the ancestors of the Native Americans migrated from Asia. This is a major discovery! Denisovan genes are rare and unknown, and provide new information about the origins of the Native Americans. The Denisovan genes suggest that the ancestors of Native Americans migrated from Asia, thousands of years ago. This discovery is changing the way we think about the history of the Native Americans, and will help us to understand their culture and genetic heritage more accurately. Denisovans are an extinct sister group of Neanderthals, and are known from fragmentary fossils from Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains. Their genomic legacy is present in several Asian, Australian and Melanesian populations, which suggests that they once might have been widespread. The mandible provides the only direct evidence of the Denisovans outside the Altai Mountains. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Who were the Denisovans? 2:35