Papuan genomes contain genes from two Denisovan lineages

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A new study by researchers from Massey University, New Zealand, has determined that modern Papuans carry hundreds of gene variants from two distinct Denisovan lineages instead of a single lineage, with one of these lineages potentially being different enough to warrant an entirely new species of archaic hominid. The new study suggests that the Denisovan population may have been centered in tropical Asia instead of in Europe or in the frozen north, leading the researchers to believe that modern humans interbred with multiple Denisovan populations. The new study also suggests that the two Denisovan lineages had been separated from each other for 350,000 years. Here is a link to the paper describing this study.

Paper (abstract only): https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30218-1