Denisovan

The Denisovans or Denisova hominins are archaic humans in the genus Homo. They are extinct. They are either a species of Homo or a subspecies.  

Denisovans lived in Siberia and southeast Asia during the Middle to Late Pleistocene epoch, around 200,000–30,000 years ago. 

 Discovery 
Denisovan fossils were first discovered in  in Denisova Cave in Siberia's Altai Mountains. Neanderthals and modern humans also lived in this cave at different times. 
 Fossils 
Scientists have identified the fossils of four distinct Denisovans from Denisova Cave. There are fossils of two young females (named Denisova 2 and Denisova 3) and two adult males (Denisova 4 and Denisova 8). Slon, Viviane et al 2017. A fourth Denisovan individual. Science Advances 3 (7): e1700186. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1700186. PMC 5501502. PMID 28695206.

 Anatomy 
So far, a finger bone, a toe bone and two teeth are the only Denisovan body parts that have been found and securely identified.  

The finger bone is from a juvenile woman. She lived about 41,000 years ago. The finger bone is broader than a human finger.  This fact suggests that Denisovans were more robust than any modern humans.

In 2025, two head bones found in east Asia were identified as probably being Denisovan, based on protein and DNA analysis.  One is a mandible (jaw bone) found off the coast of Taiwan. The other is a skull, the "Dragon Man," (Homo longi) from Harbin, China. 

Based on the Dragon Man skull, Denisovans had a "prominent brow ridge with a brain as large as modern humans and Neanderthals . . . ." 

 DNA analysis 
The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the finger bone showed it was genetically distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans. 

The mtDNA from the finger bone differs from that of modern humans by 385 nucleotides in the mtDNA strand out of approximately 16,500. This is more than the difference between modern humans and Neanderthals, which is around 202 bases. 

Denisovans shared a common origin with Neanderthals, as proven by the nuclear genome from the finger bone specimen.. Modern humans, Neanderthals, and the Denisova hominin last shared a common ancestor around  years ago, according to DNA analysis.Katsnelson, Alla  2010. New hominin found via mtDNA. The Scientist (24.03.10) 

The mtDNA analysis also suggested that Denisovans migrated out of Africa between a migration by Homo erectus individuals and later migrations by the ancestors of most modern humans.

Denisovans and modern humans interbred multiple times.Larena, M.; McKenna, J.; Sanchez-Quinto, F.; Bernhardsson, C.; Ebeo, C.; Reyes, R.; Casel, O.; Huang, J.-Y.; Hagada, K. P.; Guilay, D.; Reyes, J.; Allian, F. P.; Mori, V.; Azarcon, L. S.; Manera, A.; Terando, C.; Jamero Jr., L.; Sireg, G.; Manginsay-Tremedal, R.; Labos, M. S.; Vilar, R. D.; Latiph, A.; Saway, R. L.; Marte, E.; Magbanua, P.; Morales, A.; Java, I.; Reveche, R.; Barrios, B.; Burton, E.; Salon, J. C.; Kels, Ma. J. T.; Albano, A.; Cruz-Angeles, R. B.; Molanida, E.; Granehäll, L.; Vicente, M.; Edlund, H.; Loo, J.-H.; Trejaut, J.; Ho, S. Y. W.; Reid, L.; Lambeck, K.; Malmström, H.; Schlebusch, C.; Endicott, P.; Jakobsson, M. (11 October 2021). "Philippine Ayta possess the highest level of Denisovan ancestry in the world". Current Biology. 31 (19): 4219–4230.e10. Bibcode:2021CBio...31E4219L. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.07.022. PMC 8596304. PMID 34388371. So did Neanderthals and Denisovans. Today, Melanesians, Aboriginal Australians, and some Filipinos have up to 5% Denisovan DNA. The finger bone specimen had about 3% to 5% of the DNA of Melanesians and Aboriginal Australians, and around 6% of Papuans deriving from Denisovans.""About 3% to 5% of the DNA of people from Melanesia (islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean), Australia, New Guinea and aboriginal people from the Philippines comes from the Denisovans". Oldest human DNA found in Spain – Elizabeth Landau's interview of Svante Paabo 

 Related pages 

 Human evolution
 Mitochondrial DNA 
 Neanderthals
 Homo

 References 

Category:Hominins