Curr Biol May 2016 PMID 27032491

The Combined Landscape of Denisovan and Neanderthal Ancestry in Present-Day Humans.

Sriram Sankararaman, Swapan Mallick, Nick Patterson, David Reich

Mentions

147
Peak: 2 in Dec 2023
across 6 sources since Feb 2022

Extended reach

16,938
potential audience

Total likes

120

Video views

2,360

Mentions per month

Feb 2022 – Jul 2025

Where it's discussed

  • News104 articles
  • Blogs23 articles
  • X / Twitter8 posts
  • Facebook8 posts
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Reddit2 posts

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The social discussions reflect strong interest in the genetic impact of archaic humans, exemplified by posts mentioning that populations in India and Oceania have more Denisovan ancestry, and debates about the implications for male fertility and population differences. The tone varies from scientific curiosity to curiosity-driven inquiry, emphasizing the article’s relevance to human evolutionary studies while also noting data limitations.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions agree on the significance of archaic ancestry in modern humans, emphasizing consistent findings like Denisovan contributions and reduced male fertility effects.

InterestHigh interest

Discussions demonstrate high interest, with multiple posts asking detailed questions and referencing specific populations and genetic data.

EngagementModerate engagement

Posts show moderate engagement, frequently citing studies, raising questions about population differences, and suggesting further research is needed.

ImpactModerate impact

The conversations indicate that these findings could influence our understanding of human evolution, although some posts highlight the limited scope of current data.

Abstract in brief

  • Present-day humans have up to 5% ancestry from Denisovans and about 2% from Neanderthals, with Denisovan DNA being more prominent in some populations.
  • In Oceanians, Denisovan DNA fragments are larger and more recent compared to Neanderthal fragments, indicating recent interbreeding events, and there is more Denisovan ancestry in South Asia than previously thought.
  • Both Denisovan and Neanderthal DNA are less common near genes, especially on the X chromosome and in regions important for male fertility, suggesting that such archaic DNA may have had negative effects on modern human reproductive success.

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Alberto Paniz Mondolfi
@Betopaniz · X

Interesting. Present-day humans have up to 5% of their ancestry from archaic Denisovans, which is even higher than the 2% from Neanderthals. Limited number of genomes though. More ancestral genomes need to be deposited. https://t.co/jTrRVMzhin

Apr 15, 2023 · 2 likes · 1 share · 2,686 followers View post →
Jesus is Asian Western Jesus Christ is Asian West
@AsianJesusAmigo · X

@Theybannedme4 @FanoftheEast Indigenous American individuals have a similar or slightly higher proportion of archaic admixture to East Asians (1.37% Neanderthal and 0.05% Denisovan ancestry in the Americas, compared to 1.39% Neanderthal and 0.06% Denisovan ancestry in East Asians https://t.co/0YCZEYMKkG https://t.co/yiD4GvDYT8

Apr 9, 2024 · 2 likes · 758 followers View post →
Peter Frost
@frost61h · X

@gcochran99 @Jax_309ad @hbdchick @SilverVVulpes @whyvert @Steve_Sailer @LionBlogosphere @JayMan471 @HbdNrx @Russwarne More than likely: "archaic ancestry in modern humans is significantly reduced on chromosome X ... This is suggestive of reduced male fertility ... We confirm an extreme reduction of Neanderthal ancestry on chromosome X" https://t.co/FtuzhzpUF3

Jul 28, 2024 · 1 like · 1,700 followers View post →
luis hernan graffe
@hernangraffe · X

RT @Betopaniz: Interesting. Present-day humans have up to 5% of their ancestry from archaic Denisovans, which is even higher than the 2% fr…

Dec 9, 2023 · 1 share · 3,163 followers View post →
luis hernan graffe
@hernangraffe · X

https://t.co/Mf3oAV8ohR

Dec 9, 2023 · 3,163 followers View post →
Daniel Weissman
@dbweissman · X

@AdamRutherford @pjie2 @doctor_teee @RhondaSnook1 Check out https://t.co/B8i9S9T7Ch from @sr_sankararaman

Feb 20, 2022 · 2,468 followers View post →

All mentions

Denisovans: Understanding Our Ancient Human Relatives

Denisovans are mysterious hominins whose traces live on in modern humans. This video explores their significant role in human evolution, including their impact in regions like Indonesia. Discover how Denisovans may…

Evolucy · Jul 14, 2025 215 views
Peter Frost
@frost61h · X

@gcochran99 @Jax_309ad @hbdchick @SilverVVulpes @whyvert @Steve_Sailer @LionBlogosphere @JayMan471 @HbdNrx @Russwarne More than likely: "archaic ancestry in modern humans is significantly reduced on chromosome X ... This is suggestive of reduced male fertility ... We confirm an extreme reduction of Neanderthal ancestry on chromosome X" https://t.co/FtuzhzpUF3

Jul 28, 2024 · 1 like · 1,700 followers View post →
Jesus is Asian Western Jesus Christ is Asian West
@AsianJesusAmigo · X

@Theybannedme4 @FanoftheEast Indigenous American individuals have a similar or slightly higher proportion of archaic admixture to East Asians (1.37% Neanderthal and 0.05% Denisovan ancestry in the Americas, compared to 1.39% Neanderthal and 0.06% Denisovan ancestry in East Asians https://t.co/0YCZEYMKkG https://t.co/yiD4GvDYT8

Apr 9, 2024 · 2 likes · 758 followers View post →
Koala
@koalaaryan · X

@Muotis1 @BornLik23266 @antiochud So which east Asian Asian populations are Asian Neanderthal hybrids? This is archaic admixture, it’s impossible for it to be present only in one sample and not the population as a whole https://t.co/Utu35ulECI https://t.co/GDreHjBqH7 https://t.co/rXwokUqNKd

Mar 14, 2024 · 15 followers View post →
luis hernan graffe
@hernangraffe · X

RT @Betopaniz: Interesting. Present-day humans have up to 5% of their ancestry from archaic Denisovans, which is even higher than the 2% fr…

Dec 9, 2023 · 1 share · 3,163 followers View post →
luis hernan graffe
@hernangraffe · X

https://t.co/Mf3oAV8ohR

Dec 9, 2023 · 3,163 followers View post →
Alberto Paniz Mondolfi
@Betopaniz · X

Interesting. Present-day humans have up to 5% of their ancestry from archaic Denisovans, which is even higher than the 2% from Neanderthals. Limited number of genomes though. More ancestral genomes need to be deposited. https://t.co/jTrRVMzhin

Apr 15, 2023 · 2 likes · 1 share · 2,686 followers View post →
ApollonianRegime
@ApolloRegime · X

@Aryaismm @Tocharus Indians have more Denisovan genes than they have Aryan genes. https://t.co/gh77Fy5I2x

Nov 20, 2022 · 622 followers View post →
Daniel Weissman
@dbweissman · X

@AdamRutherford @pjie2 @doctor_teee @RhondaSnook1 Check out https://t.co/B8i9S9T7Ch from @sr_sankararaman

Feb 20, 2022 · 2,468 followers View post →