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Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Science
- Yahoo
1930s 'Dragon Man' Finally Gives Elusive Ancient Human Species a Face
A 146,000-year-old skull known as the 'dragon man', thought to be the sole representative of an ancient human species, actually belongs to a larger group of our extinct relatives, the Denisovans, two new papers claim. It's the first skull we have from that group, and it was right under our noses for years. Paleontologist Qiaomei Fu, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, specializes in early modern human settlement in Asia. She led two new studies that reveal the mistaken identity of this skull, using proteins and mitochondrial DNA her team found preserved in the fossil. The 'dragon man' skull was discovered in the 1930s by a construction worker who was erecting a bridge over the Songhua River in Harbin, China, while the region was under Japanese occupation. The province is known as Longjiang, meaning 'dragon river', hence the skull's nickname. The bridge builder kept the specimen to himself, hiding it at the bottom of a well. It was only when his family donated it to Hebei GEO University in 2018 that research on this unique find began. In 2021, the skull was declared a new species of ancient human, Homo longi, but Fu's research rebukes this categorization. That initial description was based on comparative morphology, where paleontologists look at the physical appearance of different fossils to decide where they sit in the family tree. But morphology can mislead: members of the same species often look very different depending on lifestyle and environment. Trying to extract fragile molecular evidence from fossils – especially DNA to compare genetic similarity – is often a destructive and patchy task with no guarantee of payoff, but in this case, Fu and her colleagues had astonishing success. The team was able to retrieve proteins from the skull's petrous bone – one of the densest in the body. They also got hold of mitochondrial DNA (which contains less detail than the DNA stored in a cell nucleus, but is still very useful) from plaque on the dragon man's teeth. Dental plaque is not widely considered a source of DNA, perhaps because it's the result of a biofilm rather than a direct part of the host's body. "The finding that the human DNA of the Harbin specimen is better preserved in the dental calculus than in dense bones, including the petrous bone, suggests that dental calculus may be a valuable source for investigating DNA in Middle Pleistocene hominins," Fu and her team write. These molecules suggest the man is not as unique from other ancient humans as the skull's physical appearance suggests. That's partly because we don't actually have any other complete Denisovan skulls to refer to: until now, they were known only from teeth, one skull fragment, bits of jaw, and a few other body parts. But the dragon man's mitochondrial DNA reveals a species-level relationship to at least five other Denisovan individuals known from fossil remains found in Siberia. And among the amino acid fragments of 95 proteins found within his skull, four were unmistakably Denisovan, and three were direct matches. There are limitations to these sampling methods that leave some room for doubt, but Fu and team's findings are enough to place him among the Denisovans for now. We may have lost a species of ancient human – farewell Homo longi, it was good while it lasted – but it seems we've gained the first ever complete Denisovan skull. Which is pretty wild, given that this missing puzzle piece, a frustrating gap in the paleoanthropologists' catalogue, has actually been in the hands of modern humans for nearly 100 years. As they say, it's always in the last place you look. The research is published in Science and Cell. How Long Would Humans Survive Once The Last Baby Is Born? Humans Have Smoked Meat For Almost 2 Million Years, Study Suggests 'As If Time Froze': France's Deepest Shipwreck Stuns Archaeologists
Economic Times
10 hours ago
- Science
- Economic Times
Chinese laborer hid mysterious skull for 85 years. Now scientists know who is this ancient 'Dragon Man'
The Skull That Defied Classification A Breakthrough in Ancient DNA Live Events Solving a Human Evolution Puzzle What's in a Name? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In 1933, a laborer working on a bridge in Harbin, northeastern China, stumbled upon a large human-like skull. Suspecting its value, he hid it in an abandoned well, where it remained untouched and unknown to science for more than eight decades. It was only shortly before his death in 2018 that he revealed its existence to his family, who later donated it to Hebei GEO University. What researchers have now uncovered is extraordinary: the skull—nicknamed Dragon Man—likely belonged to a Denisovan, a mysterious and extinct group of archaic scientists first analyzed the fossil, they dated it to at least 146,000 years ago and proposed a new species name, Homo longi, in reference to the Black Dragon River (Heilongjiang) region where it was discovered. The skull's unusual features—flat cheekbones, a massive braincase, thick brow ridges, and an oversized tooth—didn't fit neatly into known human species. Some experts speculated it might be Denisovan, a population known only through a few bone fragments and teeth, mostly found in Denisova Cave in confirmation eluded scientists—until Qiaomei Fu, a geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and one of the scientists who helped first identify Denisovans in 2010, led the recent breakthrough. After years of failed attempts to extract DNA from the skull's bone and tooth, her team turned to a less conventional source: hardened dental plaque. To their surprise, they recovered fragments of mitochondrial DNA from the dental calculus that closely matched the Denisovan findings, published in two landmark studies this week in Cell and Science, also include protein analysis from the skull's petrous bone, which independently confirmed its Denisovan origin.'This is the first time we've linked a full skull to the Denisovans using molecular evidence,' Fu was quoted as saying by CNN. 'It finally puts a face to a name that's been elusive for 15 years.'First identified through a 66,000-year-old pinkie bone in Siberia, Denisovans were a sister group to Neanderthals and shared a common ancestor with modern humans around 600,000 years ago. Though genetic traces of Denisovans have been found in present-day populations in Asia and the Pacific, their physical form remained largely a Harbin skull changes that. Scientists reconstructed its face, revealing a tall male with a broad mouth, wide nose, large teeth, and a brain comparable in size—or slightly larger—than that of modern humans and Neanderthals. Experts believe the skull could represent the most complete Denisovan fossil ever found."This is one of the most significant paleoanthropological discoveries of the year," said Ryan McRae, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian, who was not involved in the research. "It confirms Denisovans weren't just a ghost lineage known from DNA, but a real, robust group of ancient humans."While the discovery confirms a Denisovan identity for the Harbin skull, debate remains over its scientific classification. Some researchers argue that the name Homo longi—proposed in 2021—should now be considered the formal species name for Denisovans, as it's the first Denisovan fossil with a clear morphological like paleoanthropologist John Hawks, believe Denisovans belong within the broader Homo sapiens family, given their ability to interbreed with modern humans and Neanderthals.'Whatever we call them, this is a massive leap forward,' Hawks told the New York Times. 'The mystery of who the Denisovans were is finally beginning to lift.'Looking AheadFu says the discovery is just the beginning. 'Now that we've linked a skull to Denisovans, we can re-examine other mysterious fossils in Asia with fresh eyes,' she goal: to build a clearer picture of what Denisovans looked like across time and geography—and to better understand how their legacy continues in the DNA of people today.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
Chinese laborer hid mysterious skull for 85 years. Now scientists know who is this ancient 'Dragon Man'
In 1933, a laborer working on a bridge in Harbin, northeastern China, stumbled upon a large human-like skull. Suspecting its value, he hid it in an abandoned well, where it remained untouched and unknown to science for more than eight decades. It was only shortly before his death in 2018 that he revealed its existence to his family, who later donated it to Hebei GEO University. What researchers have now uncovered is extraordinary: the skull—nicknamed Dragon Man—likely belonged to a Denisovan, a mysterious and extinct group of archaic humans. The Skull That Defied Classification When scientists first analyzed the fossil, they dated it to at least 146,000 years ago and proposed a new species name, Homo longi, in reference to the Black Dragon River (Heilongjiang) region where it was discovered. The skull's unusual features—flat cheekbones, a massive braincase, thick brow ridges, and an oversized tooth—didn't fit neatly into known human species. Some experts speculated it might be Denisovan, a population known only through a few bone fragments and teeth, mostly found in Denisova Cave in Siberia. But confirmation eluded scientists—until now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Eat Ginger Everyday for 1 Month This is What Happens Tips and Tricks Undo A Breakthrough in Ancient DNA Dr. Qiaomei Fu, a geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and one of the scientists who helped first identify Denisovans in 2010, led the recent breakthrough. After years of failed attempts to extract DNA from the skull's bone and tooth, her team turned to a less conventional source: hardened dental plaque. To their surprise, they recovered fragments of mitochondrial DNA from the dental calculus that closely matched the Denisovan genome. The findings, published in two landmark studies this week in Cell and Science, also include protein analysis from the skull's petrous bone, which independently confirmed its Denisovan origin. Live Events 'This is the first time we've linked a full skull to the Denisovans using molecular evidence,' Fu was quoted as saying by CNN. 'It finally puts a face to a name that's been elusive for 15 years.' Solving a Human Evolution Puzzle First identified through a 66,000-year-old pinkie bone in Siberia, Denisovans were a sister group to Neanderthals and shared a common ancestor with modern humans around 600,000 years ago. Though genetic traces of Denisovans have been found in present-day populations in Asia and the Pacific, their physical form remained largely a mystery. The Harbin skull changes that. Scientists reconstructed its face, revealing a tall male with a broad mouth, wide nose, large teeth, and a brain comparable in size—or slightly larger—than that of modern humans and Neanderthals. Experts believe the skull could represent the most complete Denisovan fossil ever found. "This is one of the most significant paleoanthropological discoveries of the year," said Ryan McRae, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian, who was not involved in the research. "It confirms Denisovans weren't just a ghost lineage known from DNA, but a real, robust group of ancient humans." What's in a Name? While the discovery confirms a Denisovan identity for the Harbin skull, debate remains over its scientific classification. Some researchers argue that the name Homo longi—proposed in 2021—should now be considered the formal species name for Denisovans, as it's the first Denisovan fossil with a clear morphological identity. Others, like paleoanthropologist John Hawks, believe Denisovans belong within the broader Homo sapiens family, given their ability to interbreed with modern humans and Neanderthals. 'Whatever we call them, this is a massive leap forward,' Hawks told the New York Times. 'The mystery of who the Denisovans were is finally beginning to lift.' Looking Ahead Fu says the discovery is just the beginning. 'Now that we've linked a skull to Denisovans, we can re-examine other mysterious fossils in Asia with fresh eyes,' she said. Her goal: to build a clearer picture of what Denisovans looked like across time and geography—and to better understand how their legacy continues in the DNA of people today.
National Geographic
a day ago
- Science
- National Geographic
Scientists discovered a new kind of human with its pinkie bone. Now we have a skull.
Finally, we can put a face on a Denisovan. The "Dragon Man" skull was discovered in Harbin, China in 1933 by a local laborer, but remained hidden away until 2018. A new analysis now finds its very likely to be a Denisovan. In the summer of 2021, a team of five Chinese researchers stirred up some controversy by suggesting that an unusual skull unearthed in northeastern China belonged to a previously unknown species they thereby officially described as Homo longi, nicknamed 'Dragon Man.' (Both names were inspired by the Long Jiang Dragon River region where it was found.) Soon afterwards, the team was contacted by paleogeneticist Qiaomei Fu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, who asked if she could try and get DNA from the skull. Back in 2010, she'd been the first to investigate the DNA from a tiny finger bone found in a Siberian cave called Denisova that became world famous because it revealed the existence of a population of hominins not previously known to science, and for which no other fossils existed: the Denisovans. In two papers published in the journals Science and Cell this week—coauthored with Qiang Ji of Hebei GEO University, an author on the original Homo longi paper—Fu and her team conclude the 'Dragon Man' was likely a Denisovan too. Which is big news, as it makes the stunningly complete skull of 'Dragon Man', also known as the 'Harbin skull', the only Denisovan skull known to science. 'After 15 years, we give the Denisovan a face,' she says. 'It's really a special feeling, I feel really happy.' This illustration depicts how Homo longi may have appeared when they lived during the middle Pleistocene, over 146,000 years ago. Illustration by John Bavaro Fine Art, Science Photo Library We now know Denisovans had a wide and low face that combined more primitive features, like a prominent brow ridge, with more modern ones, like delicate cheekbones and a relatively flat lower face that does not jut out like it does in other primates and more ancient hominins. Its massive size also suggests a very large body that perhaps helped protect it from brutal winters in northeastern China. The findings open the door to a better understanding of these ancient hominins and the world they inhabited. 'Having a well-preserved skull like this one allows us to compare the Denisovans to many more different specimens found in very different places,' says paleoanthropologist Bence Viola of the University of Toronto, who was not involved in the new study. 'This means we might be able to compare their body proportions and start thinking about their adaptations to climate, for example.' How dental plaque helped confirm the findings Bulgaria's cultural capital After she was granted access to the skull, the first thing Fu did was look for DNA, specifically in the teeth and the petrous bone, a dense part of the skull near the inner ear that is known to be the last spot where DNA might survive in a skull that is estimated to be at least 146,000 years old. When that revealed no genetic material, she turned to a different method: extracting proteins. These are usually more hardy than DNA – and because they are what the genes in the DNA code for, they can also provide genetic clues about the DNA that gave rise to them. She was able to collect information from 95 different proteins, four of which are known to differ between Denisovans and other hominins. For three of those, the skull had a Denisovan variant (sometimes in combination with another one on the other chromosome). Yet Fu still wanted to find DNA to confirm if the skull belonged to a Denisovan. And so she looked in the dental plaque on its single remaining tooth. It was a long shot: while plaque is a very hardy material, researchers more typically find bacterial DNA in it. It's rarer to find the DNA of the owner of the teeth. Against expectations, she did find a tiny amount of DNA there that was human and looked sufficiently old to have belonged to the skull itself, and not one of the people who have handled it since. (How a molar, jawbone, and pinkie are rewriting human history) 'They may have actually recovered many DNA fragments from me because I studied and handled the specimens so many times,' says paleoanthropologist Xijun Ni, who is based at the same institute and was one of the coauthors of the paper proposing Homo longi as a new species, but was not a coauthor on the current paper. (He is not convinced that the protein analysis is sufficiently specific, nor does he believe the degraded DNA is enough to identify the specimen as Denisovan.) Fu acknowledges in the paper 'a substantial proportion' of the DNA she found was clearly the result of contamination. But using the established protocols to select only the DNA that is indeed ancient, she found that the tiny amount of DNA that remains, like the proteins, confidently identifies the skull as Denisovan 'It contains 27 gene variants only found in the seven known Denisovan individuals,' says Fu. 'None of these can arise from modern human contamination.' 'The data are quite convincing,' says paleobiologist Frido Welker of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, who specializes in the analysis of ancient proteins, but wasn't involved in this study. 'The Harbin cranium appears to be a Denisovan.' Other researchers are convinced as well. Since the description of [the Harbin skull] I was hopeful that we finally had a face for the Denisovans, and these papers prove it,' says Viola who has conducted excavations in Denisova cave. 'It's great that two different methods gave us the same result, this makes me much more confident that this is real.' Denisovans inhabited an even wider range than we thought These results provoke an unsettled question: Since Denisovans have never been formally described as a species, but Homo longi has, should we now refer to Denisovans as Homo longi? For some, the answer is clearly yes. 'Assuming the author's claim is true, then Denisovans are a population of Homo longi, just as New Yorkers and Beijingers are both Homo sapiens' says Ni. Paleoanthropologist Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London, who has been collaborating with Ni and others on a new analysis of Chinese hominin fossils, agrees that even though 'it is increasingly likely that Harbin is the most complete fossil of a Denisovan found so far, Homo longi is the appropriate species name for this group.' But other researchers don't think it's useful to assign separate species names to hominins from this period. 'We ourselves do not use species names for Neandertals or Denisovans,' says paleogeneticist Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthrology, who leads the lab where Fu first analyzed the Denisovan DNA. 'We do not find it helpful as these are closely related groups that have been shown to mix and have fertile offspring, with each other and with our own direct ancestors. But if a species name is needed, we would simply call them all Homo sapiens.' (The best evidence yet that Roman gladiators fought lions: a bite mark) Naming discussions aside, a very exciting discovery remains: a kind of human we once only knew from a pinky bone dug up from a cave now has a face. And we now know this kind of human did not just live in Siberia where the first pinkie bone was found, but across much of East-Asia. Confidently identifying this fossil will also help researchers make sense of the many other mysterious fossils found across East-Asia, and will encourage them to try and get molecular evidence from those as well. This may also cast a new light on how and when Denisovans and our own ancestors interbred, which is why long after the death of the last direct descendant of the Denisovan 'Dragon Man', some of its genetic material still survives in people alive today.
