{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "ca4214f88705467a8886010277ca36d5", "timestamp": "2026-10-07T23:09:09.333Z", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/ca4214f88705467a8886010277ca36d5.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/ca4214f88705467a8886010277ca36d5"}}, "title": "Ancient genomes reveal an extinct bovine species from mid-latitude Asia.", "authors": [{"family": "Oppenheimer", "given": "Jonas", "initials": "J"}, {"family": "Gilardet", "given": "Alexandre", "initials": "A"}, {"family": "Kozlikin", "given": "Maxim B", "initials": "MB"}, {"family": "Kosintsev", "given": "Pavel", "initials": "P"}, {"family": "Vasiliev", "given": "Sergey K", "initials": "SK"}, {"family": "Shunkov", "given": "Michael V", "initials": "MV"}, {"family": "Xenikoudakis", "given": "Georgios", "initials": "G"}, {"family": "Ford", "given": "Sarah", "initials": "S"}, {"family": "Douka", "given": "Katerina", "initials": "K"}, {"family": "Heintzman", "given": "Peter D", "initials": "PD"}, {"family": "Shapiro", "given": "Beth", "initials": "B"}, {"family": "Dal\u00e9n", "given": "Love", "initials": "L"}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2026-10-05", "journal": {"title": "Curr. Biol.", "issn": "1879-0445", "issn-l": "0960-9822"}, "abstract": "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 (\u223c130,000 to \u223c115,000 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.", "doi": "10.1016/j.cub.2026.09.043", "pmid": "42833213", "labels": {"NGI Short read": "Service", "NGI Stockholm (Genomics Production)": "Service", "National Genomics Infrastructure": "Service"}, "xrefs": [{"db": "pii", "key": "S0960-9822(26)01252-2"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-10-07T12:11:06.454Z", "modified": "2026-10-07T12:11:06.461Z"}