Scientists Reconstruct the Face of Mysterious Ancient Human Species
reconstructed the face of this mysterious ancient human lineage. The breakthrough came through a decades-old fossilized skull discovered in Harbin, China, which contained preserved proteins and DNA in the dental plaque.
The Harbin skull was originally unearthed in 1933 by a Chinese laborer. In 2018, the skull was recovered and handed over to Hebei GEO University. Dr. Qiang Ji and colleagues dated the skull to at least 146,000 years ago and classified it as a new species, Homo longi. However, Dr. Fu suspected it might be Denisovan.
After failing to find ancient DNA in the skull bone, Dr. Fu turned to an unusual source: fossilized dental plaque. Against the odds, the team successfully retrieved Denisovan DNA from the hardened tartar. “This moment is special to me,” said Dr. Fu. “After 15 years, people want to know — who are the Denisovans?”
The DNA confirmed the Harbin individual belonged to a lineage that includes other Denisovan fossils found in the Denisova Cave in Siberia. The reconstructed face depicts a large male with flat cheeks, deep-set eyes, and a brain approximately 7% larger than the average modern human.
This discovery helps fill in gaps about human evolution and migration. Genetic evidence shows that Denisovans interbred with modern humans tens of thousands of years ago, particularly in Asia and Oceania. Yet until now, their appearance remained speculative.
Experts in the field hailed the discovery. “Mystery solved,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Janet Kelso, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute, called the use of dental plaque to retrieve DNA “remarkable.”
Still, debate continues over classification. While some scientists support Homo longi as a distinct species, others like Hawks argue Denisovans should be considered part of Homo sapiens, given their ability to interbreed with modern humans.
marks a significant leap in human evolutionary research.
Great detailed work with good evidence