The Jomon people of prehistoric Japan seem to have had very little Denisovan DNA, according to a recent study. This finding suggests their ancestors likely did not interact with Denisovans, an extinct group of human relatives.
Researchers examined many ancient and modern genomes to figure out when and where modern humans met Denisovans. They discovered that individuals from the Jomon period, which spanned roughly 16,000 to 3,000 years ago, had the least Denisovan DNA among ancient East Asians. This contrasts sharply with early populations in mainland East Asia, like those in China and Mongolia, who showed higher levels of Denisovan genes, likely received through contact with multiple Denisovan groups before the last ice age.
In a similar vein, early Western Eurasians, including groups from Iran and Georgia, possessed the least Denisovan ancestry. This research is vital in piecing together the early migrations of humans and how they mixed with other groups. Stéphane Peyrégne, a co-author of the study and an evolutionary geneticist, mentioned that “Denisovan DNA is a powerful tool for understanding population history.”
Little is known about Denisovans, who lived between 200,000 and 30,000 years ago. Fossils and traces of their DNA have been found mostly in present-day Oceanians, East Asians, Southeast Asians, and Indigenous Americans.
The researchers analyzed genetic data from 115 ancient humans, with the oldest remains dating back about 45,000 years to present-day Bulgaria. In modern populations, almost all East Asians have approximately 0.1% Denisovan DNA; however, a Jomon individual had only about one-sixth to one-eighth of that.
Interestingly, later Japanese groups, such as those from the Kofun period (around A.D. 300 to 710), had more Denisovan DNA—likely due to increased migrations from East Asia during that time. The reasons behind the Jomon’s minimal Denisovan connections remain unclear, but possibilities include differing migration paths or that Denisovans weren’t widely distributed, making contact rare.
More research will help fill in the gaps. Right now, the oldest Jomon genome available is about 9,000 years old, but evidence indicates that humans have lived in Japan for at least 32,000 years. Discovering genetic data from that 23,000-year gap could illuminate early human history in the region.
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