Earliest Known Denisovan Remains Discovered
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying the oldest known remains of the Denisovans, a mysterious ancient human lineage. For the first time, researchers have linked 200,000-year-old Denisovan bones to stone tools, shedding new light on their behavior and way of life.
The Denisovans were first identified in 2010 through DNA analysis of a tooth and a small finger bone found in Denisova Cave, located in Siberia’s Altai Mountains. Prior to this latest discovery, only a handful of Denisovan fossils had been unearthed, including four bone and tooth fragments and a jawbone from Tibet.
Tracing Denisovan Ancestry and Evolution
Genetic studies indicate that Denisovans shared a common ancestor with Neanderthals and modern humans approximately 765,000 years ago. After diverging from our lineage, the Neanderthal-Denisovan ancestors migrated into Eurasia while early Homo sapiens remained in Africa. By 430,000 years ago, the Denisovans and Neanderthals had separated into distinct populations, with Neanderthals settling in western Eurasia and Denisovans in the east. Some theories suggest that shifting Arctic ice sheets may have geographically isolated these groups.
Further DNA evidence confirms that Denisovans interbred with early modern humans at least twice—once in East Asia and again in Southeast Asia or Australasia.
New Fossil Discoveries in Denisova Cave
A team of researchers recently uncovered three new Denisovan fossils in Denisova Cave. Estimated to be 200,000 years old, these specimens surpass the age of previously known Denisovan remains, which ranged between 122,000 and 194,000 years.
In their study, scientists analyzed 3,800 bone fragments from the cave, using protein markers to identify Denisovan remains. Among the five human bones discovered, four contained sufficient DNA for identification—one belonging to a Neanderthal and three to Denisovans. Genetic similarities suggest that two of these Denisovan bones may have come from the same individual or closely related individuals.
Connecting Denisovans to Stone Tools and Their Environment
The fossils were found in sediment layers rich with stone tools and animal bones, providing crucial archaeological context. Previously, Denisovan remains had only been located in layers lacking such artifacts or in areas potentially mixed with Neanderthal remains.
This discovery offers new insights into Denisovan life. Researchers believe that these early humans inhabited a warm, forested environment with open grasslands, similar to today’s climate. They likely hunted animals such as deer, gazelles, horses, bison, and even woolly rhinoceroses, as suggested by butchered and burned animal remains found in the cave.
Technological Insights from Denisovan Artifacts
The stone tools associated with the Denisovan fossils primarily consist of scrapers, likely used for processing animal hides. These tools were crafted from river sediments near the cave’s entrance, indicating that the nearby water source played a crucial role in their survival and hunting strategies.
Interestingly, these tools do not closely resemble any known artifacts from North or Central Asia. However, they bear similarities to tools found in Israel dating back 250,000 to 400,000 years, a period marked by major advancements in human technology, including the widespread use of fire.
The research findings have been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, paving the way for further exploration into Denisovan history and their impact on early human evolution.
