Oldest Ever Genetic Data of Ancient Human Relative Found in a 2-Million-Year-Old Teeth Excites Archaeologists
Genetic information from fossils helps researchers trace the eventful journey that humanity has undertaken during its stay on Earth. As years have gone by experts have come up with more methods to accurately collect genetic information from remains. In 2023, researchers announced that they had a big development in the history of human genetic data, stated Archaeology Magazine. The development was because of a fossil discovery they had made in a South African cave.
The examination of tooth fossils uncovered from the cave provided the oldest available genetic data for an ancient human relative. The human relative in focus was hominin. The fossils were determined to be of Paranthropus robustus. This prehistoric human species used to live in South Africa, stated Phys.org. Their fossil remains are mostly spotted in regions between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Past examinations have determined them to be direct ancestors of modern humans along with Homo ergaster. Researchers have found multiple details regarding the lifestyle of P.robustus. The remains collected from South Africa indicate that when times were tough, the species could survive on low-quality foods. Their teeth were typically found to be humongous compared to modern humans. Remains indicate that the population had large males and small females.
The remains spotted in the cave were dated back to around two million years ago, according to Archaeology Magazine. Examination unveiled that the genetic data procured through the fossils was the oldest ever that researchers had garnered of any hominins. Researchers collected genetic data that went past, present records because the team extracted proteins from the remains. Proteins are more resilient than DNA, which allowed experts to push back the molecular data and get more insights into the connections between different hominin species.
Around 400 amino acids were sequenced throughout the whole process. The results indicated that modern humans had more in common with Neanderthals, and Denisovans, than with the two-million-year-old Paranthropus robustus. The proteins present in the teeth's enamel were examined using mass spectrometry. The process led to the identification of amelogenin-Y in the collected fossils. This indicated to experts that two teeth spotted in the cave belonged to males. The team found the female version of the protein from the other two teeth. The finding has been considered a huge breakthrough by experts in terms of understanding the evolutionary landscape followed by human ancestors. It showcases how human evolution was a complex web rather than a linear path.
Researchers claim that the teeth had been preserved for so long, because of the arid nature of the region where the cave was situated. Also, the area being frequently affected by flash floods, allowed the remains to be in somewhat excellent condition. Scientists are ecstatic regarding the revelations made by this examination but have asked people to express some caution regarding the results. Experts are doubtful because the validity of findings procured by proteins rather than DNA could be questionable.