But we don’t know Denisovans ( deh-NEESE’-so-vans ) as well as their Neanderthal cousins, and that’s probably because the Denisovans didn’t leave many bones. The Denisovans were a group of humans that once separated from the Neanderthals and lived on Earth for hundreds of thousands of years before extinction. Despite very little evidence, many scientists are increasingly fascinated by the Denisovans. But who were the Denisovans?

Denisovans, like Neanderthals, are a group of the closest extinct relatives of intelligent humans. It wasn’t until 2010 that scientists first announced that Denisovans existed and once lived on Earth, so much about these relatives remains unknown to this day. However, fossil and genetic evidence suggests that Denisovans lived in a wide range of regions and conditions; From the cold mountains of Siberia and the highlands of Tibet to the forests of Southeast Asia and even the islands of the Pacific Ocean.

According to Nature magazine, Russian scientists discovered the first fossils related to Denisova in the summer of 2008, in the excavation of a place called Denisova Cave in the Altai mountain range in southern Siberia. In the 1700s, this cave was the residence of a hermit named Denis. For this reason, it is known as “Dennis Cave” in Russian. Denisova also got their name from this cave, because it was the place where the first fossils of Denisova were discovered.

However, subsequent analysis of ancient DNA extracted from these fossils suggested otherwise. In 2008, researchers sequenced the first complete genome of a Neanderthal, but one of the fossils discovered in the cave was a small piece of finger bone, 30,000 to 50,000 years old, belonging to a completely different and unknown human lineage. In 2010, scientists in a study published in the journal Nature officially announced the details of the discovery in a study published

Chris Stringer, a paleontologist at London’s Natural History Museum, told LiveScience: “Discovering a new species from a tiny piece of finger bone was a remarkable technical achievement.”

In addition to announcing the existence of Denisovans for the first time, a 2010 Nature study also found the species to be closely related to Neanderthals. A subsequent study published in Nature in 2013 estimated that the lineage that gave rise to Neanderthals and Denisovans diverged from the ancestors of intelligent humans between 550,000 and 765,000 years ago. Later, the ancestors of Neanderthals and Denisovans separated from each other between 381,000 and 473,000 years ago. This means that Denisovans and Neanderthals are the closest relatives of modern humans.

The two Denisovan lineages diverged about 283,000 years ago. Although Denisovans shared a common origin with Neanderthals, they were genetically very different from Neanderthals, almost as much as Neanderthals are from Homo Sapiens . differed

A subsequent study, published in 2019 in the journal Tuberculosis, unveiled a third Denisovan lineage. Based on the level of genetic differences between all three Denisovan lineages, the study showed that this third lineage separated from the other two groups about 363,000 years ago and was almost as different from other Denisovans as it was from Neanderthals. DNA of the third lineage is mainly found in the present-day natives of the island of New Guinea and its surroundings.

By 2022, researchers had attributed eight small, highly fragmented fossils to Denisovans based on identified DNA. All eight fossils have been discovered from Denisova cave excavations. The fossils included three molars, a fragment of a hand or foot bone, three small bone fragments, and a fragment of a finger bone; These fossils alone were sufficient to produce the DNA necessary to sequence the entire genome.

Scientists also discovered other fossils in China and Laos that contained specific proteins that they knew belonged to Denisovans based on previous DNA studies of the extinct lineage. The fossils include a piece of jawbone from a sacred site in China and a molar from a cave in Laos.

The remains of Denisovans discovered to date, based on their DNA or proteins, provide few clues as to how fossil Denisovans can be identified morphologically or in appearance. In this way, previous research may have discovered countless Denisovan fossils that remain unknown; Because they have morphological differences compared to other anthropoids that scientists still cannot identify.

The researchers say that the more evidence of Denisovans that is obtained, especially those that cover both DNA and morphological evidence, the more likely it is that other known fossils will be placed in this group.

A 2010 Nature study showed that the Denisovans interbred with the ancestors of modern humans , so that about four to six percent of the genome of the natives of New Guinea and Bougainville Island, or the modern genome of Melanesians, is made up of their DNA. Melanesia is a region in Oceania that includes New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji. In contrast, a 2013 Nature study found that only about 0.2 percent of the DNA of mainland Asians and Native Americans is of Denisovan origin.

Denisova’s DNA may have many benefits for intelligent humans. For example, a 2014 study found that a genetic mutation from the Denisovans may have helped Tibetans and Everest natives live at high altitudes. Another study in 2016 found that Denisova’s DNA may have influenced the modern human immune system, as well as our blood fat and sugar levels. Of course, heredity has not come without a cost, heritable DNA may even have increased our susceptibility to schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

Also, by examining the Denisovan DNA that has been inherited by living humans today, the researchers say that the pattern of recorded mutations suggests that several distinct genetic groups of Denisovans intermingled with our ancestors. Furthermore, none of these Denisova groups were closely related to the Denisova Cave-dwelling group.

Previous studies show that Neanderthals also had intercourse with intelligent humans. A 2013 study estimated that the genomes of all non-African humans contain 1.5 to 2 percent Neanderthal DNA. Additionally, another study in 2018 found that Denisovans and Neanderthals also interbred.

The 2018 study examined a 2.5-centimeter bone fragment unearthed in 2012 from an excavation of Denisova Cave. This small piece was removed from a long bone, such as a tibia or femur. The thickness of the outer part indicates that the bone belonged to a girl who was at least 13 years old at the time of death. Radiocarbon dating shows that this fossil is more than 50,000 years old.

DNA from the fossil discovered the first known Denisovan-Neanderthal hybrid and also showed that Denisovan’s father probably had at least one Neanderthal ancestor between 300 and 600 generations before him. Overall, this discovery revealed several instances of interaction between Neanderthals and Denisovans.

In addition, the scientists found that the teenage girl’s Neanderthal mother was genetically more similar to Western European Neanderthals than to other Neanderthals who lived in Denisova Cave. This finding shows that Neanderthals were migrating between West and East Eurasia for tens of thousands of years.

So far, scientists have sequenced the genomes of six Denisova cavemen. According to the researchers, the findings based on the fact that one of these six people had a Neanderthal parent and a Denisovan parent, from a statistical point of view, show that admixture was very common when these two groups interacted with each other.

The evidence found paints a fascinating picture of humans who could have thrived and expanded in diverse environmental conditions, from cold Siberia to the highlands of Tibet, the jungles of Laos, and perhaps even the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The Denisovans were in competition with us in terms of adaptability and adaptability.

Modern humans left Africa about 60,000 years ago, at that time the Denisovans were probably on their way, and they may have donated some of their genes to us through interbreeding. But in 2019, scientists found the first Denisovan fossil in a place beyond Siberia, in a cave in the highlands of Tibet.

By 2022, scientists had discovered Denisovan remains at archaeological sites in Siberia, China, and Laos. The discovered fossil data matched the genetic evidence of Denisovans found in modern Melanesian humans. Also, fossil evidence of Denisovan jawbones discovered in the Tibetan Plateau also shows that a group of Denisovans were adapted to living in high altitudes and cold climates.

Overall, the findings show that the Denisovans lived in very different environments. They endured the harsh winters of Siberia and the thin air of the Tibetan Plateau. In Laos, they lived and hunted in open forests with herds of pygmy elephants and other mammals. Based on DNA evidence, they may have also lived in the rainforests of New Guinea and the Philippines.

According to the 2010 Nature study that first discovered the existence of the Denisovans, the Denisovans lived in the Denisova Cave between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago.

But in another study published in 2021, scientists claimed that the oldest Denisovan fossils discovered so far are about 200,000 years old. These 200,000-year-old bones were also discovered in Denisova Cave.

Overall, the findings show that the Denisovans lived on Earth at the same time as Homo sapiens and Neanderthals and were their closest relatives.

A study in 2019, examining Denisova’s finger bone discovered in Denisova Cave, described her appearance and showed that this bone belonged to a teenage girl aged about 13.5 years. Another study also showed that this Denisova girl had dark skin, brown hair, and brown eyes.

Like Neanderthals, Denisova’s daughter may have a short forehead, a protruding jaw, and a very small chin. However, the dental arch of Denisovans may have been much higher than that of us and Neanderthals. That is, the rows of their upper and lower teeth are more prominent, and the upper part of their skulls is also significantly wider.

For example, from the relatively close evolutionary relationship of the Denisovans with the Neanderthals, we can guess that they had a large body and a large brain. In addition, the researchers expect that societies living in regions with cold climates (although not all of them) have massive trunks and relatively short and broad bodies. The researchers add that by further examining the Denisovan genome, the prediction of their appearance will also be more advanced.

In 2021, scientists discovered the first Denisovan stone tools in the Denisovan Cave in Siberia. According to a study published in the journal Nature, these works belong to the oldest Denisovan fossils discovered to date.

In that study, researchers examined 3,791 bone fragments discovered in Denisova Cave. Based on previous DNA studies of Denisovans, they looked for proteins they knew belonged to this extinct lineage. Later, scientists discovered three bones of Denisova in the cave. Based on the layer of earth in which the fossils were discovered, the team determined that the fossils were about 200,000 years old.

The soil layer also contained a treasure trove of stone artifacts and animal remains that may serve as vital archaeological clues about the life and customs of the Denisovans. Previously, Denisova fossils had only been found in layers that did not contain any archaeological material, or in layers that also contained material associated with Neanderthals.

The findings showed that the bones of these Denisovans belong to the time when the climate of the region was warm and similar to today. At that time, the region was suitable for human life with broad-leaved forests and open steppes, grasslands, savannahs, and temperate shrubs. The remains of butchered and burned animals found in the cave also indicate that the Denisovans probably fed on deer, deer, horses, bison, and woolly rhinoceros.

The stone artifacts found in the same layer of Denisova fossils are special tools for shaving and maybe they were used for tanning animal skins. The raw materials for making these items probably came from the sediments of the river, which is located just outside the entrance of the cave. The river also served as a source of water and also drew prey to the cave.

No equivalents for these stone tools and associated fossil artifacts have been discovered in North or Central Asia. However, the study’s authors noted that the items bear similarities to items found in Israel, which date from 250,000 to 400,000 years ago; A period associated with major changes in human technology, such as the common use of fire.

In 2021, three controversial studies published in the journal Invention claimed that a fossilized skull discovered in China nicknamed “Dragon Man” that is at least 146,000 years old belongs to a new species called Homo Longi . However, many scholars argue that the Dragon Man may actually be just a Denisova.

The 146,000-year-old fossil of Dragon Man is one of the largest extinct human skulls. The brain inside the skull could have been similar to that of a wise man, but the bony sockets of the eyeballs in this skull were larger and almost square than in modern humans, the brow ridges were very thick, the mouth was wider and the teeth were larger than normal.

All in all, scientists say the dragon man’s skull has a mix of ancient and modern human features that distinguish the species from other known members of the Homo family, a lineage from the human family. However, until scientists discover more fossil and genetic evidence of Dragon Man and Denisovans, it cannot be confirmed or denied that the two are the same.

Both groups of Floresians and Luzonians were alive until about 50,000 or 60,000 years ago and may have lived in the islands of Southeast Asia at the same time as the Wise Men.

Modern humans from Southeast Asian islands have relatively high levels of Denisovan DNA. At present, there is little information about the anatomy of Denisovans and the genetics of Floresian and Luzonian humans. For this reason, it is also possible that the extinct small humans were the same Denisovans who intermingled with modern humans in the islands of Southeast Asia.

However, other scientists do not agree with this conclusion. They note that, based on archaeological evidence, the two groups of Floresian and Luzonian humans lived in the islands of Southeast Asia at least 700,000 to 1 million years ago, long before the Denisovans first evolved. Hobbits and their cousins ​​may be too ancient to be Denisova.

The Denisovans one day disappeared from the face of the earth, but their genetic legacy lives on in living humans. However, it is not yet known exactly why and how the Denisovans became extinct.

Scientists say that the Denisovan overlapped with the expansion of the intelligent human population sometime between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago and the subsequent competition for limited resources was probably one of the reasons for the Denisovan extinction.

Also, Denisovans may have drowned in our species’ gene pool. But in general, the researchers say that this issue remains “unanswered” until today.