Since their discovery in 2010, Denisovans have captured the attention of scientists and the general public. One of the biggest questions about this ancient group has been what they looked like, and now we have an answer.
A recently published study in Science has identified an almost-complete hominin skull as belonging to a member of the Denisovan lineage. Researchers recovered the skull, known as the “Dragon Man,” in Harbin, China, and it dates to around 146,000 years old.
By using cutting-edge and experimental ancient DNA techniques, researchers have been able to conclusively confirm that the Harbin fossil shares genetic and morphological traits with other Denisovan specimens, placing it firmly within the Denisovan lineage and providing crucial insights into the evolution of ancient humans.
The team working on this project developed two specific methods to help them piece together the story of the Harbin skull.
Firstly, they created an automatic identification ...
