400,000-year-old teeth reveal a hidden link in human evolution

More than 400,000-year-old Homo erectus teeth from China may reveal a surprising link between this ancient human species, Denisovans, and some modern people. Scientists found protein mutations suggesting several East Asian Homo erectus populations belonged to the same evolutionary group, including one mutation previously associated with Denisovans.

That variant may have passed from Homo erectus into Denisovans and eventually reached modern populations in Southeast Asia and Oceania.