Ancient ‘Dragon Man' DNA reveals mysterious human relative

Euronews

20-06-2025

Six months since we lost visionary director David Lynch, an auction including the filmmaker's director's chair, art and his personal 35mm print of Eraserhead went up for grabs this week. With hefty price tags, naturally.
Nearly 450 items from Lynch's personal collection were auctioned at the Peninsula Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. With hundreds of bidders attending in person and online, the sale generated a total of $4.25million (€3.69m).
The highlight of the auction was the sale of scripts from Lynch's unfinished film project Ronnie Rocket: The Absurd Mystery of the Strange Forces of Existence, which eventually went for $195,000 (approx. €169,000).
Other notable items sold were a Twin Peaks-themed mug owned by the coffee-loving director, which went for $11,700 (€10,150) and the aforementioned personalised director's chair, which sold for $91,000 (€79,000).
When the auction was announced, Catherine Williamson, the managing director of entertainment at Julien's Auctions, said: 'These historical and cherished pieces reflecting David Lynch's singular artistic vision, as well as his passions and pursuits ranging from his director's chair, espresso machine to his guitar, record collections and Twin Peaks style decor, come directly from the home of the visionary artist whose enigmatic films stirred our most imaginative and collective surreal dreams.'
Known for classics such as the TV show Twin Peaks, as well as films like The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive, Lynch died at his daughter's home in Los Angeles in January, after being evacuated during the city's wildfires. He was 78 years old.
At this year's Cannes Film Festival, tributes poured in for the legendary director, including French singer Mylène Farmer's moving homage during the opening ceremony.
There has also been much chatter this month surrounding a Netflix project Lynch intended to make before his death, titled Unrecorded Night.
The mystery series was comissioned by Netflix and started pre-production. However, it was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and was ultimately shelved.
Netflix chief Ted Sarandos revealed that Lynch had pitched a limited series 'filled with mystery and risks', and a new interview with Peter Deming, Lynch's collaborator on many projects including Twin Peaks: The Return, unveiled more details.
Speaking to The Film Stage about Unrecorded Night, Deming said: 'It was going to be a lot of episodes, because David really liked what he called 'the continuing story'. I really love the feature stuff, but he was like, 'I'm not going to make any more movies. I'm just going to make longer stories because I love the longer story'.'
Deming added, regarding the script: 'It took me three sittings to read it because it was so thick, but it was definitely not Twin Peaks. It was definitely a really interesting… mystery, I would say. Yeah, it's too bad. It really is. Because it would've been good'.
We don't doubt him for a second.
It's the end of a nearly 100-year-old mystery. Using DNA-analysis, scientists have identified an ancient human relative nicknamed "Dragon Man", new research showed.
It all started with a 146,000-year-old skull found by a labourer in the northern Chinese city of Harbin in 1933.
The man left his treasure at the bottom of a well, where it remained hidden until his family uncovered the fossil in 2018 and donated it to science.
Experts initially failed to match the cranium with any known prehistoric human species.
In 2021, they dubbed the discovery Homo longi or 'Dragon Man', a name derived from from Heilongjiang, or Black Dragon River, the province where the it was found.
Now, scientists have managed to extract genetic material and proteins by scrapping tooth plaque from the fossil's mouth, an unusual technique that proved successful.
The findings of the research were published in Cell and Science
Analysis confirmed the skull belongs to the Denisovans, an extinct species of archaic human beings found across Asia.
The species was first identified in 2010 thanks to DNA tests on small, fossilised bone fragments, but no complete Denisovan skull had ever been found.
The new discovery will make it easier for experts to identify further Denisovan fossils and seen the species finally assigned a scientific name. The new research might also give clues regarding the species' appearance.
The Harbin skull is large, with strong and low brow ridges, similar to Neanderthals and modern humans.
Qiaomei Fu, a professor at the Institute of Paleontology and Palaeoanthropology in Beijing which led the new research wrote: "the finding that the human DNA of the Harbin specimen is better preserved in the dental calculus than in the dense bones, including the petrous bone, suggests that dental calculus may be a more valuable source for investigating DNA in Middle Pleistocene hominins."
Celebrated British band Coldplay have announced the re-issue of their discography on records made from recycled plastic bottles.
The group, led by Chris Martin, have been outspoken about their mission for sustainability and are longtime campaigners for climate action. Their clear 140g EcoRecords made from recycled plastic bottles continues their environment-friendly goals.
Jen Ivory, managing director of the band's label Parlophone, said: 'We are incredibly proud to partner with artists such as Coldplay who share our commitment to a more sustainable future for music.'
'The shift to EcoRecord LP for their releases is a testament to what's possible when innovation meets intention,' she continued. 'It's not just about a new product, it's about pioneering manufacturing that significantly reduces environmental impact, providing fans with the same high-quality audio experience while setting a new standard for physical music production.'
EcoRecords' injection-moulding technology utilises 100 per cent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) for its LP manufacturing – it's a lightweight, durable material designed for reduced shipping emissions and end-of-life environmental impact. Each 140g LP is made up of approximately nine recycled bottles, which are cleaned and processed into small pellets, where they're molded into records.
The manufacturing process will see the reduction of carbon emissions by 85 per cent when compared to traditional vinyl production.
These eco-friendly vinyl practices represent a step towards more environmentally conscious practices within the music industry, and certain artists like Massive Attack and Billie Eilish join Coldplay in pushing things forward.
This also isn't the first time Coldplay have released an album via EcoRecords. Their 2024 album 'Moon Music' was launched on 100 per cent rPET EcoRecord - marking the world's first album released in the 140g EcoRecord rPET LP format.
This initiative comes after Coldplay claimed they had exceeded their climate change target while attempting to put on one of the greenest tours in history.
In 2024, the group claimed its CO2 emissions were 59 per cent less for the first two years of their Music Of The Spheres Tour compared to their stadium tour from 2016 to 2017, surpassing an initial 50 per cent target.
Une publication partagée par Coldplay (@coldplay)
The Coldplay EcoRecord LP re-issues are available for pre-order now and will be released on 15 August.