Although we know so little about Denisovans, we know a lot about a second human species alive at the same time – Neanderthals…[U]ntil we managed to sequence Neanderthal DNA…we didn’t realize that…our own ancestors mated with them during that relatively brief period when we both occupied the same areas of Europe and Asia.
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In addition to these three human species – us, Neanderthals, Denisovans – all alive at the same time, there was also a 4th species – tiny humans, commonly called Flores man or “hobbits.”
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[However, t]hree of the four human species alive [,all except us,]…vanished. What happened to them?Related on the SLP
Well, I don’t want to point the finger too obviously at yours truly, but wherever and whenever our own species shows up, certain things seem to happen. Not long after we showed up in the Middle East, Neanderthals disappeared, then we showed up in Europe and they vanished. Hobbits also disappeared about the same time that our species arrived on the Indonesian islands.
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As of today, all evidence points to none of the other human species surviving for long after their first contact with our species.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: DNA and the story of our species: Did we kill the hobbits?
