A wide range of interesting revelations emerged from this research project, which sought to untangle the complex genetic, evolutionary, and cultural relationships between these groups. The most notable finding was that some highland residents of Papua New Guinea were carrying strands of Denisovan DNA in their genomes that their ancestors had picked up approximately 25,000 years ago. This was long after their ancestors had migrated to Near Oceania from the East Asian mainland.
This discovery was eye-opening and could have profound implications. Adding weight to its authenticity is another study, published in 2019 , that found essentially the same thing.
A Tamuniaï village house on stilts off the coast of New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea. (