Oldest Remains of Mysterious, Extinct Human Ancestors Unearthed in Siberian Cave

Wednesday 1st December 2021

Oldest Remains of Mysterious, Extinct Human Ancestors Unearthed in Siberian Cave

Siberian cave

Scientists have unearthed the oldest fossils to date of the mysterious human lineage known as the Denisovans. With these 200,000-year-old bones, researchers have also for the first time discovered stone artifacts linked to these extinct relatives of modern humans, a new study finds.

First identified a little more than a decade ago, the Denisovans — an extinct branch of the human family tree — are the closest known relatives of modern humans, along with Neanderthals. Analysis of DNA extracted from Denisovan fossils suggests they might have once been widespread across continental Asia, island Southeast Asia and Oceania, and revealed that at least two distinct groups of Denisovans interbred with ancestors of modern humans.

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Richard Freeman
Richard Freeman has been the zoological director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology since 1997, and has authored a number of books on the subject of Cryptozoology. He has carried out many major expeditions in search of mystery animals. He also writes fiction.