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## The Enigmatic Denisovans: A Deep Dive into Our Extinct Human Relatives
The first people to step foot in the Americas carried DNA from two extinct Eurasian human groups: neanderthals and Denisovans [[2]]. This genetic inheritance may have aided the earliest Americans in combating new diseases encountered in their new habitat [[2]]. Modern humans are a result of interbreeding between at least three different species [[2]].
Denisovans were an extinct group of archaic humans whose finding has reshaped our understanding of human evolution [[1]]. Their presence in Eurasia for hundreds of thousands of years highlights a more complex story of ancient human diversity than previously imagined [[1]]. The Denisovans, along with Neanderthals, are the closest extinct relatives of modern humans [[2]]. It wasn’t until 2010 that scientists confirmed their existence [[2]].
Researchers believe that the Denisovan MUC1 gene variant may have provided an immune advantage to early populations [[2]]. This suggests that inheriting genetic material from archaic humans wasn’t just about survival, but also about gaining tools to thrive in new environments.
