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Scientists say they have deciphered the features of the skull and other details of a mysterious cousin and disappeared from the Neanderthals by analyzing his DNA. The genetic material came from the fingerbone of a woman belonging to the Denisovans, a population known primarily for its bone fragments and teeth found in the cave of Denisova, Siberia. The Denisovans may have occupied this cave from more than 200,000 years ago to around 50,000 years ago. Recently, a jaw fragment of Denisovan, at least 16,000 years old, has been reported in China. But it still gave scientists very few traces of what Denisovans looked like. Modern humans do not come from Denisovans or Neanderthals, although our species has crossed with both and has picked up genetic markers that are still detectable in some populations.
The new work used DNA data from two Neanderthals, five old and 55 current members of our own species, and five chimpanzees, in addition to Denisovan's bone, according to the AP. The results were reported Thursday in the newspaper Cell by Liran Carmel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and others. They looked for differences in the levels of specific gene activity that could affect anatomical features, which suggested some differences in appearance for these traits. They identified 32 traits that gave clues to Denisovan's skeleton. As expected, most were shared with Neanderthals, including stout jaws, a low forehead, a large rib cage and a large pelvis. The analysis also indicated that Denisovans had a broader face than Neanderthals and our own species, and a more prominent face than our own species but less than Neanderthals.
(Read more stories from Denisovans.)
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