When early modern humans encountered Neanderthals and Denisovans, these archaic humans contributed DNA to our genomes. But how many archaic human groups did we encounter and what role does archaic human DNA play in the lives of present-day people? Laurits Skov is a geneticist at UC Berkeley studying the role of archaic DNA in modern humans. In this presentation, he discusses evolutionary history of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA found in the genomes of more than 30,000 people living today. 

Moderated by Briana Pobiner, a paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

This Zoom webinar aired November 16, 2023, as part of the HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic series.

Learn more about the HOT Topic series and get info about upcoming webinars on the museum's Events for Adults page: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/events/...

Human Origins Website from NMNH: https://humanorigins.si.edu/