We Were Wrong About Our Human Evolution

Homo sapiens aren’t as unique as we once thought. In fact, only about 1.5 to 7 per cent of our DNA originated in our species alone. Everything else we share with our ancestors and those human species we once coexisted with, including Neanderthals, Denisovans and even some yet-to-be-identified "ghost populations". This rewrites the story we have told ourselves about our species. We just aren’t that unique. When our ancestors met these other human species, they didn't just compete with them: they mated with them. And those encounters left a permanent record in our DNA. In other words, those ancient humans we thought had vanished didn't necessarily disappear... Some of them are still here inside you. Learn more ➤   • Where Are the Denisovans? The Answer is in...   00:00 Introduction 03:05 The discovery the rewrote human evolution 09:35 When humans first met other humans 15:36 The ancient genetic upgrades 19:46 The Denisovan surprise 23:10 The hidden cost of ancient DNA 26:42 The real story of human origin ❤️ Love New Scientist? For a specially discounted New Scientist digital subscription, go to http://bit.ly/3OFhwvL ⭐️ We have a podcast, too: Subscribe to @TheWorldTheUniverseAndUs 🛍️ Check out our shop for the smartest gifts - https://shop.newscientist.com/ MORE FROM NEW SCIENTIST ───────────────────────────── 🌐 Website: https://www.newscientist.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://bit.ly/NSYTINSTA 📘 Facebook: https://bit.ly/NSYTFB 🐦 Twitter: https://bit.ly/NSYTTW 📈 LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/NSYTLIN About New Scientist: New Scientist was founded in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today our website, videos, newsletters, app, podcast and print magazine cover the world’s most important, exciting and entertaining science news as well as asking the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human. New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/ #human #science #humanity #history #ancestors #dna #neanderthal