Enamel proteins from six Homo erectus specimens across China

A groundbreaking analysis of ancient enamel proteins from six Homo erectus specimens, spanning three Middle Pleistocene sites in China—Zhoukoudian, Hexian, and Sunjiadong—reveals a previously unknown genetic monogroup within this species. The study identified two amino acid variants, one of which (A253G in AMBN) is unique to these H. erectus populations and has not been detected in other human lineages, including Neanderthals, Denisovans, or modern humans. The second variant (AMBN(M273V)), previously linked to Denisovans, suggests potential genetic introgression from H. erectus into Denisovan populations during the Late Middle Pleistocene, possibly occurring in East Asia where both groups may have coexisted. This finding implies that super-archaic introgression in Denisovans—and subsequently in modern humans—likely originated from H. erectus, reshaping our understanding of ancient human genetic exchange.

Fu, Q., Wu, Z., Bennett, E. A., Xing, S., Ji, Q., Dong, Z., Rao, H., Gu, X., Dang, Y., Xing, J., Zhou, K., & Feng, X. (2026). Enamel proteins from six Homo erectus specimens across China. Nature, 655(8121), 141–147. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10478-8