Researchers at the Institute for Evolutionary Biology (IBE: CSIC-UPF) have collaborated in a study led by the University of Copenhagen and the University of Cape Town, to successfully recover 2-million-year-old proteins from Paranthropus robustus teeth found in South Africa’s Swartkrans Cave, using paleoproteomics – a technique that enables the identification of protein sequences in fossilized remains. This marks some of the oldest human genetic data from Africa and provides rare insight into this extinct upright-walking species that lived alongside early Homo between 2.8 and 1.2 million years ago. The researchers extracted protein fragments from the tooth enamel of these remains and used state-of-the-art mass spectrometry techniques to partially reconstruct their sequences.
The analysis identified the biological sex of four individuals—two males and two females—through variants of the amelogenin protein. It also revealed unexpected genetic diversity within the species, challenging long-held assumptions based solely on skeletal features. These findings suggest more complex population structures, possibly including subgroups or emerging lineages within Paranthropus, and emphasize the importance of integrating molecular data with traditional morphological approaches.
Despite technological limitations due to protein degradation over time, the results show that paleoproteomics can uncover valuable genetic and evolutionary information from ancient fossils. This approach opens new possibilities for understanding early human relatives in Africa, where ancient DNA recovery has been largely unsuccessful due to poor preservation conditions.
Madupe, P. P., Koenig, C., Patramanis, I., Rüther, P. L., Hlazo, N., Mackie, M., et al. (2025). Enamel proteins reveal biological sex and genetic variability in southern African Paranthropus. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt9539
