A groundbreaking discovery has been made in the field of paleontology – the first near-complete Denisovan skull has been identified. This significant find was made possible through the analysis of proteins and calcified dental plaque, shedding light on what this ancient human cousin may have looked like.
The Denisovans, an archaic human group, are believed to have had a prominent brow ridge and a brain size comparable to modern humans and Neanderthals. This new research, published in Cell and Science, used ancient molecules to link a cranium found near Harbin in northeastern China to the Denisovans. This discovery marks the first time a nearly complete skull has been definitively connected to this extinct group of humans.
The fossil, estimated to be at least 146,000 years old, has provided valuable insights into the morphology of the Denisovans. Prior to this discovery, the appearance of the Denisovans had remained a mystery since their unique DNA was first identified from a finger bone found in a Siberian cave in 2010.
Janet Kelso, a computational biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, expressed excitement over the new findings, stating that the identification of Denisovan DNA from a nearly complete cranium has provided valuable insights into the cranial features of this ancient human cousin.
The cranium, described as “massive” and well-preserved, lacks the lower jawbone and is considered one of the best-preserved archaic human fossils to date. Referred to as the ‘Dragon Man,’ the fossil was initially discovered in 2018 by palaeontologist Qiang Ji in China.
In 2021, Ji and his colleagues determined that the ‘Dragon Man’ fossil represents a new archaic human species, which they named Homo longi. Molecular analysis conducted by geneticist Qiaomei Fu and her team revealed ancient protein sequences in the skull that matched those of Denisovans, confirming the individual’s identity as a member of this ancient human group.
Further analysis of a tiny chip of calcified dental plaque from the skull yielded genetic sequences closely related to early Denisovans from Siberia. This groundbreaking discovery marks the first time that host DNA has been recovered from dental calculus dating back to the Palaeolithic era.
This new information not only provides valuable insights into the physical characteristics of the Denisovans but also opens up avenues for further research and identification of other Denisovan specimens in collections worldwide. The study, originally published in June 2025, showcases the importance of interdisciplinary research in unraveling the mysteries of our ancient human relatives.
