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Oppenheimer J, Gilardet A, Kozlikin MB, Kosintsev P, Vasiliev SK, Shunkov MV, Xenikoudakis G, Ford S, Douka K, Heintzman PD, Shapiro B, Dalén L
Curr. Biol. - (-) - [2026-10-05; online 2026-10-05]
A previously undescribed bovine mitochondrial clade, termed yak X, was recently discovered in Pleistocene Asia.1 However, the genome-wide relationships of this lineage to other bovines remain unclear. Here, we present 20 Middle and Late Pleistocene yak X nuclear genomes that were recovered from Denisova Cave and other sites in mid-latitude Asia and have a temporal span of over 200,000 years. Phylogenetic and population genomic approaches show that yak X was a separate species that began diverging from extant yaks at least 400,000 years ago. We also document a demographic decline in yak X over the Mid-to-Late Pleistocene, along with potential population turnover accompanied by a decrease in genetic diversity around the Last Interglacial (∼130,000 to ∼115,000 years ago). Unlike divergent hominin lineages within Pleistocene Asia,2 we find negligible evidence for gene flow between yak X and other bovine species, including steppe bison (Bison priscus) and aurochs (Bos primigenius), despite their geographic and temporal co-occurrence.1 Our results show that yak X was a distinct species whose disappearance may have previously gone unrecognized during the Late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions, and highlight the broader Altai-Sayan region as a hotspot of diversity during the Pleistocene.
NGI Stockholm (Genomics Production) [Service]
National Genomics Infrastructure [Service]
PubMed 42833213
DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2026.09.043
Crossref 10.1016/j.cub.2026.09.043
pii: S0960-9822(26)01252-2