Nearly 3,800 bone fragments belonging to three individuals of the Denisovans—a mysterious and elusive group of ancient humans that are intertwined in the genetic makeup of many Asian populations—have been discovered in a cave in Siberia.
Previously, remains of seven other Denisovan individuals were found in Siberia or Tibet, but most were only faint traces, such as DNA mixed in the sediments of a sacred cave in Tibet or a few isolated bone fragments in poor condition.
As a result, they have long existed as a “ghost species” in the human family tree—lacking complete skeletons, yet their distinct DNA continues to appear in the bodies of many modern humans, particularly those of Asian descent.
Denisova Cave in Siberia – (Photo: Siberian Branch – Russian Academy of Sciences).
However, this time, the Denisova Cave has provided 3,791 fossilized bone fragments in good enough condition to search for characteristic proteins in Denisovan DNA.
“We specifically targeted these sediment layers, where no other human fossils had been found before” – Dr. Katerina Douka from the University of Vienna (Austria) stated to Live Science. This layer of soil contains a significant number of stone artifacts and animal remains, which could be crucial clues about the life and behavior of Denisovans.
The fossils are 200,000 years old and belong to three Denisovan individuals. The stone tools they used bear similarities to tools found in Israel that are 250,000-400,000 years old, marking a period when ancient human species underwent significant technological changes and learned to use fire. Notably, the artifacts in Israel belong to other human species. This is the first time tools from Denisovans have been discovered.
Denisovans are a distinct human species believed to have gone extinct around 30,000 years ago. Similar to the Neanderthals, they interbred with our Homo sapiens ancestors, leaving behind traces in the DNA of some modern human communities. At the time Homo sapiens emerged, there were approximately 8-9 different human species on Earth, all of which eventually went extinct, except for us.
