Human evolutionary genetics has had an extremely European focus when it comes to ancient DNA. Since the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome, the hot topic has been human-Neanderthal hybridization. But, as more ancient DNA is recovered from fossils in Asia, we are beginning to understand how complicated our recent evolutionary history may be. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180125135609.htm) have discovered that there were likely as many as 4 genetically distinct populations in Eurasia in the Upper Paleolithic that may have contributed to the modern Eurasian genome. These populations become less distinct through time, giving us an idea of the intensity of interaction and interbreeding events.
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