"This development represents a paradigm shift in paleoanthropology by transitioning from DNA-based analysis to 'Paleoproteomics'. Since ancient DNA degrades rapidly, the use of enamel proteomics—specifically via micro-destructive acid etching—allows scientists to extract stable proteins from teeth, bypassing the temporal limits of genetic viability. The discovery of shared protein variants between Homo erectus and Denisovans in East Asia provides concrete molecular evidence of interbreeding. This fundamentally challenges the traditional, linear 'ape-to-man' evolutionary model, replacing it with a more complex, reticulate model of human evolution characterized by coexistence, migration, and hybridization among different hominin species."
Homo erectus & Enamel Proteomics