Scientists have recently unearthed the oldest fossils of a mysterious human lineage known only as of the Denisovans. Dating to 200,000 years ago, these bones were found together with stone artifacts that link to the extinct modern human relative.
Why Did Neanderthals Become Extinct?
Neanderthals, one of the last humans before modern humans, were once widespread across Western Asia and Europe for a long time, from 400,000 years ago. According to the Smithsonian, things changed when Homo sapiens, the earliest members of our species, migrated 45,000 years ago from Africa to Europe. 5,000 years later, Neanderthals went extinct.
Although it's difficult to say why neanderthals vanished from the face of the Earth, scientists hypothesized that although Neanderthals were specialized to hunt, during the Ice Age, the animals themselves disappeared, making the neanderthals vulnerable to starvation.
Likewise, homo sapiens had a competitive edge over neanderthals due to their long-distance trade network that safely guarded them during climate change when preferred food was not available. Additionally, homo sapiens had technologies that aided them in hunting and adjusting to the many changes that occurred during the era that neanderthals did not.
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Mysterious Denisovans Unearthed: Unraveling the Truth
Denisovans were identified for the first time only a decade ago. The extinct branch of humans is the closest known relatives of modern humans at par with Neanderthals. Analysis of the DNA extracted from the recent Denisovan fossil discovery suggests that the species may have once been widespread across Asia, the islands of Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Additionally, the team discovered that at least two distinct groups of the Denisovans have interbred with ancestors of modern humans, reports ScienceAlert.
Up until recently, scientists were only able to uncover half a dozen Denisovan fossils-5 in the Denisova Cave, Siberia, while 1 in a holy site in China.
Today researchers have discovered yet another 3 Denisova fossils from the same Denisova cave in Siberia. In a study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, titled "The earliest Denisovans and their cultural adaptation," scientists estimate that the recently uncovered bones date back to 200,000 years ago, making it the oldest Denisovans ever found. Prior to this, it was believed that the earliest Denisovans were roughly 122,000-194,000 years old.
Researchers examined more than 3,700 bone scraps recovered from the Denisova Cave. The team searched for proteins that are specific to Denisovans based on prior DNA research on the extinct lineage.
The stone tools unearthed along with the fossils have no direct counterparts in Central and North Asia. However, the tools bear resemblances with items found in Israel dated to between 250,000-400,000 years ago, a period notoriously known for the major shifts in human technology like routine use of fire.
A recent study found that the Denisovans may not have been the only residents of the cave at the time. Bones of carnivores like wild dogs and wolves suggest that they may have competed with the predators over prey or the cave itself.
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