Latest news with #Denisovan
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Dragon Man, scientists find ancient Chinese ethnicity dating back a myriad years
A recent science roundup has drawn attention to new interpretations of the 'Dragon Man' fossil, a remarkably preserved ancient human skull discovered in northeastern China in the 1930s. Previously proposed as a new species named Homo longi , recent research now links it more closely to the Denisovans—a little-understood hominin group known mostly from DNA and fragmentary fossils. This shift is based on both morphological comparisons and genetic evidence, which show that Dragon Man shares key features with known Denisovan remains. Estimated to be over 140,000 years old, the Dragon Man skull could be the most complete Denisovan specimen ever found. Its discovery challenges prior assumptions about the geographic range and diversity of the Denisovans , who are believed to have interbred with early modern humans in Asia. The skull's size, thick brow ridges, and robust jaw align with what little is known about Denisovan anatomy from bone fragments found in Siberia and Tibet. If confirmed, this fossil would help bridge major gaps in the human evolutionary timeline and shed light on the physical characteristics of a group previously known mostly through genetic studies. Live Events It also raises the possibility that other fossils previously assigned to Homo erectus or unidentified archaic humans in Asia may belong to the Denisovan lineage. Further study of the Dragon Man skull could help scientists better understand how Denisovans adapted to diverse climates, interacted with other hominins, and contributed to the genetic makeup of modern human populations in Asia and Oceania.
San Francisco Chronicle
30-06-2025
- Science
- San Francisco Chronicle
New study reveals 50,000 years of India's genetic history. Here's how that could help treat disease
India is one of the most culturally and genetically diverse countries in the world, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion and more than 5,000 ethno-linguistic groups. But Indians often are underrepresented in genomic studies, which are dominated by people of European descent. 'This lack of representation leads to limited benefits of genetic findings to the Indian population,' said Priya Moorjani, a UC Berkeley assistant professor of molecular and cell biology. A new paper she and others wrote helps change that. Moorjani is the senior author of a study published Thursday that delivers the most comprehensive snapshot to date of genetic diversity in India. The research provides new insights into 50,000 years of complex South Asian evolutionary history and clues about why some genetic conditions are particularly prevalent in specific communities. The researchers analyzed genomes for over 2,700 individuals across India. Most of this data was generated as part of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India-Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia. The dataset is representative of the population diversity in India, including people born in 23 states and territories and speaking 26 languages. Because genetic material is inherited, the DNA sequences provide 'information about our ancestors, even going back thousands and millions of years ago,' Moorjani said. The researchers found that the majority of the genetic variation in present-day Indians was explained by a major migration of humans out of Africa about 50,000 years ago. These migrating humans then interbred with now extinct Neanderthals and Denisovans, another species of early hominid more evident in the genetic record than in the fossil record. These slightly hybridized humans then spread throughout Europe and Asia. Indians have about 1% to 2% of their ancestry from Neanderthals, similar to individuals from Europe and the Americas, according to the study. They have 0.1% Denisovan ancestry, similar to Americans and East Asians. Since Neanderthals and Denisovans were already genetically adapted to living outside of Africa, these ancient genes helped migrating humans adapt to new climates, Moorjani explained. This genetic material can have unexpected impacts today, said Elise Kerdoncuff, a former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow and one of two lead authors of the paper. For example, genetic material inherited from Neanderthals is linked to increased risk of respiratory failure from COVID-19. One of the 'most striking findings' from the new study was that there's larger variation in Neanderthal ancestry in Indians than in other populations, Moorjani said: 'Because Indians are so much more diverse, we find that we can reconstruct almost half of the Neanderthal genome. And similarly, we can reconstruct a third of the Denisovan genome.' While the migration 50,000 years ago forms the backbone of the Indian genetic makeup, that was just the first major wave. The researchers found that about 10,000 years ago, India received a second infusion of genetic material when existing South Asian hunter-gatherers mixed with migrating farmers from what is now Iran. A third major contribution took place about 3,500 years ago, Kerdoncuff said, when pastoralists from the Central Asian steppe arrived in North India. Genetic impacts on health Starting between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago, there has been a cultural shift toward endogamy, or within-community marriages. 'What this does is, it increases the chance of inheriting the same piece of DNA from both your parents,' Moorjani explained, a phenomenon called 'homozygosity.' When that happens, people can get 'recessive diseases' — when an individual inherits two copies of a mutated gene. The researchers found that 15 individuals analyzed in the study had a mutation in their genes for BCHE, an enzyme that when mutated causes a severe adverse reaction to certain anesthetics, Kerdoncuff said. Improved understanding of genetic variation in Indian populations could help with screening for genetic disorders or developing targeted drugs for different populations. This also applies for South Asian communities outside of India, like in California. The researchers are continuing to collect, sequence and analyze genetic data as part of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India. The work was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Fox News
21-06-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Mysterious 'dragon man' skull found in the 1930s finally identified
A mysterious human skull found in the 1930s has been identified as an existing species after once being thought to be a new species all together, according to researchers. The studies — posted in the journals Cell and Science — have identified the 146,000-year-old skull known as "dragon man" has been categorized as a Denisovan. The researchers revealed that the Denisovans were discovered by their genomes and proteins to identify them. However, the reason it took so long to identify was that the attempts to extract DNA from a tooth failed. Researchers also tried extracting DNA from the Harbin cranium as well, which also failed. When those methods failed, researchers turned to using dental calculus, which uses calcified dental plaque. The calcified dental plaque could hold and protect DNA due to its dense crystalline structure that resists degradation in various environments. Researchers used bleach on the dental plaque in order to eliminate any possible modern-day DNA. Once extracted, researchers began to compare the genetic material discovered to previous samples. The researchers found that the "dragon man" was not a new species but was a Denisovan and the very first intact specimen to date. According to the researchers, Denisovans coexisted with modern-day humans and are closely related to Neanderthals. The "dragon man" was discovered in mysterious circumstances when a Chinese laborer working on a bridge over the Songhua River found it. The man kept the Harbin cranium well hidden as he was instructed to hide it from the Japanese army. The skull was donated shortly before his death in 2018, after which his family relocated the skull and gave it to the Geoscience Museum, Hebei GEO University professor Qiang Ji. While there are limitations to this study, the researchers said there is still so much to learn moving forward. It was called "dragon man" because it was found in the Heilongjiang province of China, which translates to Black Dragon River. Fox News Digital's Julia Musto contributed to this story.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Skull Discovered in 1933 Sheds Light on Ancient Human Species
Two new studies published in Science and Cell have shed light on a mysterious skull found in China, and in the process have provided insight into the lives of a previously little-known ancient human. The 'Dragon Man' skull was found in Harbin City, China, during an excavation in 1933. The skull, which was terrifically well-preserved, was kept by the discovering archaeologist because he feared authorities would confiscate the skull. In 2018, shortly before he died, the archaeologist donated the skull for analysis. The Dragon Man's skull was much larger than modern humans, bearing an expanded brain volume as well as deep, prominent eyebrow ridges, a flat face, a wide nose, and no chin. Scientists estimated that the person lived roughly 146,000 years ago. After studying molecules from a molar in the skull, Qiaomei Fu, a geneticist at Beijing's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, determined that it likely belonged to a Denisovan. Denisovans have long been a mystery to scientists, as they only had the pinkie bone of an adolescent, which was discovered in 2010 and rumor genes fitfully present in modern humans available to study. Though DNA has long shown that Denisovans were interbred with Neandertals and modern humans, with as much as five percent of their genetic composition existing in people from Melanesia and other Southeast Asian regions, this is the first Denisovan skull which has been discovered. 'After 15 years, we give the Denisovan a face,' Fu told National Geographic. 'It's really a special feeling, I feel really happy.' In their study published in Cell, the researchers added: "This is the first detailed morphological blueprint for Denisovan populations.' The discovery redefines the history of human evolution in South Asia, with researchers now able to investigate how the Denisovans' contributions to ancient culture still reverberate in the modern day. "Having a well-preserved skull like this one allows us to compare the Denisovans to many more different specimens found in very different places,' Bence Viola, an archaeologist not involved with the study, told New Scientist. 'We can finally think about their adaptations to climate, mobility, and even social behavior.' Skull Discovered in 1933 Sheds Light on Ancient Human Species first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 20, 2025
Scientific American
20-06-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
First Near-Complete Denisovan Skull Reveals What This Ancient Human Cousin Looked Like
A prominent brow ridge with a brain as large as modern humans and Neanderthals — that's what the archaic human group, the Denisovans, looked like, according to work published this week in Cell and Science. Palaeontologists used ancient molecules to identify a cranium found near Harbin in northeastern China as belonging to the group. It's the first time a near-complete skull has been definitively linked to the extinct people. The fossil, which is at least 146,000 years old, ends a decade and a half of speculation about the Denisovans' appearance. This had remained a mystery since scientists identified them from unique DNA taken from a finger bone found in a Siberian cave in 2010. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. 'It's really exciting to finally have Denisovan DNA from a nearly complete cranium,' says Janet Kelso, a computational biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. 'We finally have some insights into the cranial morphology of the Denisovans,' she says. 'It's really exciting to finally have Denisovan DNA from a nearly complete cranium,' says Janet Kelso, a computational biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. 'We finally have some insights into the cranial morphology of the Denisovans,' she says. Dragon Man The 'massive' cranium — the upper portion of the skull, lacking the lower jawbone — is one of the best preserved of all archaic human fossils, according to researchers who first described it in 2021. Qiang Ji, a palaeontologist at Hebei GEO University in Shijiazhuang, China, obtained the specimen from an unnamed man in 2018. The man — who Ji suspects discovered the artefact himself but failed to report it to authorities — claimed that his grandfather unearthed the fossil in 1933 during bridge-construction work over Long Jiang (which means dragon river), and buried it in an abandoned well, where it remained until a deathbed confession. In 2021, Ji and his colleagues determined that the 'Dragon Man' fossil represented a new archaic human species, which they crowned Homo longi 4. Molecular sleuthing When Ji published those findings, Qiaomei Fu, a geneticist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, got in touch. Fu worked on the very first Denisovan DNA from the Siberian finger bone and wanted to see whether the Dragon Man fossil contained any ancient molecules. She and her team first attempted to extract ancient DNA from a part of the skull called the petrous bone — often a good source — and from an attached tooth. They didn't recover any genetic material but did extract and sequence fragments from 95 ancient proteins from the petrous samples. Fu compared these with Neanderthal, modern human and Denisovan sequences. One protein sequence from the Harbin fossil was identical to that of a protein from the Siberian finger bone, as well as from Denisovans uncovered in Tibet and Taiwan, but differed from proteins in modern humans and Neanderthals. That suggested the Dragon Man individual was a Denisovan. Fu's team identified two further, less conclusive, protein matches. It's the second time this year that researchers have used ancient proteins to identify a fossil as Denisovan. In April, Takumi Tsutaya, a bioarchaeologist at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Kanagawa, Japan, and his colleagues identified a Taiwanese jawbone as belonging to a Denisovan. Tsutaya says that he was amazed to learn that another Denisovan has already been identified. But Fu says that she wanted further evidence. She turned to a tiny chip of calcified dental plaque, or calculus. Fu looked for DNA from the host among the bacterial DNA in the sample. And she found it. Genetic sequences from the maternally inherited mitochondrial genome of the Dragon Man skull were most closely related to early Denisovans from Siberia, which were between 187,000 and 217,000 years old. Fu says that this is the first time that host DNA has been recovered from dental calculus from the Palaeolithic era, which ended 12,000 years ago. Rikai Sawafuji, a geneticist at Kyushu University in Fukoka, Japan, who worked on the Taiwanese fossil, was surprised that the team recovered human DNA from the calculus, given that no DNA was recovered from the petrous bone. She says this could spur other researchers to analyse ancient plaque from Palaeolithic fossils. 'If there is some dental calculus,' she says, 'people can extract human mitochondrial DNA from those samples' to learn more about prehistoric human migrations. Potentially more important is that scientists now have a Denisovan cranium that researchers can use to identify other Denisovan specimens in their collections, even if no ancient DNA or protein can be found.
