denisovan
Sign in to savethumb|The Harbin cranium, the [[holotype of the species Homo longi, a Denisovan cranium]] The Denisovans or Denisova hominins ( ) are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human that ranged across Asia during the Middle to Late Pleistocene, approximately 200,000–32,000 years ago. Most of what is known about Denisovans comes from DNA evidence. While many recent fossils have been found and tentatively identified as Denisovan, the first Denisovans discovered were known from few physical remains. Consequently, no formal species name has been established. However, an analysis of the mitochond
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# Denisovan Overview Denisovans were an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human that lived across Asia between roughly 200,000 and 32,000 years ago, known primarily through DNA evidence rather than physical fossils. They matter to our understanding of human evolution and prehistory because they represent a distinct branch of ancient humans whose existence and characteristics have only recently become known through scientific analysis.
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Article
17 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Discovery
- Specimens
- Evolution
- Demographics
- Anatomy
- Culture
- Denisova Cave
- Tibet
- Yunnan
- Interbreeding
- Archaic humans
- Modern humans
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|The Harbin cranium, the [[holotype of the species Homo longi, a Denisovan cranium]] The Denisovans or Denisova hominins ( ) are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human that ranged across Asia during the Middle to Late Pleistocene, approximately 200,000–32,000 years ago. Most of what is known about Denisovans comes from DNA evidence. While many recent fossils have been found and tentatively identified as Denisovan, the first Denisovans discovered were known from few physical remains. Consequently, no formal species name has been established. However, an analysis of the mitochondrial DNA and endogenous proteins from the Harbin cranium, which had been given the name Homo longi, showed with great certainty that this species represents a Denisovan. In a study published in September 2025, remains from six additional sites in China including the 1 million year old Yunxian man were proposed to be included in the species Homo longi along with the genetically confirmed Denisovans.
The first identification of a Denisovan individual occurred in 2010, based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) extracted from a juvenile finger bone excavated from the Siberian Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains in 2008. Nuclear DNA indicates close affinities with Neanderthals. The cave was also periodically inhabited by Neanderthals. Additional specimens from Denisova Cave were subsequently identified, as were specimens from the Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau, Tam Ngu Hao 2 Cave in the Annamite Mountains of Laos, the Penghu channel between Taiwan and the mainland, and Harbin in Manchuria.