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Denisovans Lived in China — DNA Proves It
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Jul 5, 2025
Discovery of the Harbin Skull as a Denisovan The Harbin cranium, discovered in Heilongjiang Province, China, represents one of the most significant breakthroughs in understanding the Denisovans—a mysterious group of archaic humans previously known only from DNA. Key Findings: Initial Classification as a New Species (Homo longi) Due to its unique mix of primitive and modern features (large brain size, heavy brow ridges, flat face), scientists initially proposed it as a new species, Homo longi ("Dragon Man"). However, its true identity remained uncertain because no DNA had been extracted. DNA Extraction from Dental Calculus Researchers successfully retrieved mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from hardened dental plaque on the Harbin skull. Out of 20 samples, seven contained Denisovan-specific genetic markers, with no Neanderthal contamination. The mtDNA closely matched older Denisovan specimens (Denisova 2, 8, 19, 20, 21) rather than younger ones (Denisova 3, 4). Confirmation as a Denisovan
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0:00
[Music]
0:05
The origin of modern humans remains one
0:07
of the most complex and debated topics
0:10
in paleoanthropology.
0:12
During the middle to late pleaene
0:14
period, our ancestors shared the planet
0:17
with multiple other human species across
0:19
Africa and Eurasia, creating a
0:21
fascinating mosaic of human diversity.
0:25
These included the Neanderthalss in
0:27
Europe, the Denisovvens in Asia, the
0:30
smallrained but sophisticated Homonyi in
0:32
South Africa, the dimminionive hobbits
0:35
or homo floresensis in Indonesia, and
0:38
the recently discovered Homolusonensis
0:40
in the Philippines. This period
0:42
represents the last time Earth was home
0:44
to multiple human species before homo
0:47
sapiens became the sole survivor. The
0:50
relationships between these groups, who
0:52
evolved from whom, who interbred, and
0:54
who went extinct, continue to challenge
0:56
scientists as new discoveries emerge.
1:00
Asia, in particular, presents a crucial
1:02
yet puzzling piece of the story of human
1:05
origins. Fossils discovered across Asia,
1:08
including the Namada, Mara, Dali,
1:11
Ginusan, Shu Chang, Harbin, and Wongdong
1:14
specimens provide crucial insights into
1:17
human evolution during the middle to
1:19
late plea scene. However, poor
1:22
preservation of these fossils and
1:24
interpretations influenced by regional
1:26
continuity theories have made it
1:28
difficult to place them accurately in
1:30
human evolutionary history. The Namada
1:32
fossil discovered in the Namada Valley
1:35
of Madia Pradesh, India is considered
1:37
either a late homo erectus or an archaic
1:40
homo sapiens and is an important hominin
1:43
finds in South Asia. In China, several
1:46
key fossil sites have yielded remains
1:48
with a mosaic of archaic and modern
1:50
features. The Mara skull from Guangdong
1:53
province shows intermediate traits
1:54
between Homo erectus and homo sapiens.
1:57
The Darly cranium from Shan Xi and the
2:00
Ginyu Shan fossil from Liao Ning both
2:02
reflect transitional forms often
2:04
attributed to Homohidlebergensis or
2:06
early Homo sapiens dating to
2:08
approximately 200,000 to 260,000 years
2:11
ago. The Shu Chang fossils from Henan
2:15
province display a combination of traits
2:17
linked to both archaic humans and
2:19
possible Denisovven lineage. While the
2:22
Huong Dong fossils in Ani Province
2:25
dating to around 300,000 years ago show
2:28
a unique mix of primitive and modern
2:30
anatomical features. Together, these
2:32
discoveries highlight the complex
2:34
evolutionary landscape of early humans
2:36
across Asia and their importance for
2:39
understanding the emergence of Homo
2:41
sapiens. Among these, the Harbin cranium
2:44
stands out as the most complete and best
2:47
preserved because of its unique
2:49
combination of ancient and modern
2:51
traits. Scientists have proposed that it
2:53
belongs to a new human species named
2:56
Homongi. The species name Longi comes
2:59
from the Chinese term Long Jang, which
3:01
means dragon river, a poetic name for
3:03
the Hong Jang province, where the fossil
3:06
was found. The skull was discovered near
3:08
Dong Jang Bridge in Harbin City and was
3:11
later donated to the Geoscience Museum
3:13
at Hub Geo University in 2018.
3:16
The fossil was dated to about 146,000
3:20
years old, placing it in the late middle
3:22
pleaene period. What makes Homolonga
3:26
unique is its combination of features.
3:29
The skull is massive, larger than those
3:31
of most known ancient humans. It has a
3:34
large brain capacity 1420 ml similar to
3:39
modern humans and neanderals but the
3:42
shape of the brain case is long and low
3:44
not round like ours. The brow ridges are
3:48
thick and heavy. The face is wide but
3:51
flat and the eye sockets are large and
3:54
square. The nose is broad and the jaw
3:57
region suggests the presence of large
3:59
teeth but without a chin. When compared
4:03
to other fossil skulls from Asia and
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Europe, Homo Longi shows clear
4:08
differences. It lacks the thick bone
4:10
structures of Homo erectus, the inflated
4:13
cheeks of Neanderthalss, and the sharply
4:15
angled back of the skull seen in
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Homohidlebergensis.
4:19
It also differs from the Darly and Huong
4:22
Dong skulls, which have their own
4:24
distinct features.
4:26
Because of this, scientists propose that
4:29
Darali and Hua Longdong belong to a
4:31
different species, Homo Daliansis, while
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Harbin represents a completely new one,
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Homo Longi.
4:39
Studies of ancient DNA from middle
4:41
pletoine sites in North Asia and Europe
4:43
have proven invaluable in establishing
4:45
the genetic relationships between early
4:47
humans and modern populations. One of
4:50
the key breakthroughs from this work was
4:52
the discovery of a previously unknown
4:55
archaic human population, the
4:57
Denisovvens,
4:58
identified through DNA extracted from
5:01
bones and teeth in Denisova cave in
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Siberia. However, understanding
5:06
Denisovven physical characteristics
5:08
remains limited due to the
5:10
fragmentaryary nature of the fossils
5:12
which offer little morphological
5:14
information. Interestingly, the Harbin
5:17
skull appears to be closely related to a
5:19
jawbone found in Xiai, China, which is
5:22
believed to belong to the Denisovven
5:24
lineage. This connection raises the
5:27
possibility that the Harbin individual
5:29
may have also been part of the
5:30
Denisovven group or a close relative.
5:34
The Denisovvens were an ancient human
5:36
population that once roamed the Earth
5:39
alongside the Neanderals and modern Homo
5:41
sapiens. However, nobody knew about them
5:45
until a groundbreaking discovery in the
5:47
Denisan cave in Siberia.
5:50
In 2010, an analysis of mitochondrial
5:54
DNA extracted from a fingerbone found in
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the Denise of a cave in the Russian Alai
5:59
revealed the existence of a new homminin
6:02
taxon. This newly described group was
6:04
found to be genetically distinct from
6:07
both Homo sapiens and homo
6:09
Neanderthalencis.
6:10
The mitochondrial DNA sequences showed
6:13
hapllet types outside the range of
6:15
variation of modern humans and
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Neanderthalss.
6:19
During the late middle to early upper
6:21
pletoine, three distinct groups emerged.
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Early modern humans in Africa,
6:27
Neanderthalss in Europe, and Denisovvens
6:30
in Asia.
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Molecular data suggests that the split
6:34
between the anderthals and Dennisovvens
6:36
occurred between 380 to 470,000 years
6:40
ago, while the branch leading to
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Denisovvens and modern humans diverged
6:44
around 800,000 years ago.
6:47
Homohylebergensis
6:49
migrated to Eurasia around 800,000 years
6:51
ago as indicated by the sites in Israel
6:54
in the Levant region.
6:57
Around 450,000 to 350,000 years ago,
7:01
Homohy Highlebergensis from the Levant
7:04
migrated to the Iranian plateau and
7:06
further to Central and North Asia
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including Dennisova cave in southern
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Siberia giving rise to Dennisovvens.
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This migration marked the splitting of
7:16
late homohylebergensis into
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Neanderthalss and denisovvens.
7:20
Moreover, late homohyleberlebergensis
7:23
from the Levant also reached to regions
7:25
such as Turkmenia, Kazakhstan and
7:28
Mongolia as indicated by the appearance
7:30
of Aulian industries in those areas.
7:33
Their likely route was north of the
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Himalayas and Tibet. The mandible found
7:37
in Bishia cave on the northeastern
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Tibetan plateau dates back to at least
7:42
160,000 years ago. The presence of
7:45
Dennisovvens in the region is also
7:47
supported by the adaptation of Tibetans
7:49
to high altitudes possibly through
7:52
introgression from denisovvens.
7:55
Hybridization events occurred between
7:57
these groups suggesting a meta
7:59
population that includes all three taxa.
8:02
The Alai region where Dennisova cave is
8:04
located was occupied by Neanderthalss,
8:07
Denisovvens and modern humans. Although
8:10
the precise timing and coexistence of
8:12
these groups remain uncertain,
8:15
the Denisova 11 girl represents an
8:17
example of first generation
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hybridization between a Neanderthal
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mother and a Denosovven father. Although
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Dennisovvens likely lived across much of
8:25
Asia, scientists have only found direct
8:28
genetic evidence of them at a few
8:29
places. These include Dennisova cave in
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Siberia, Bishia cave in Tibet, the
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Penangu Channel near Taiwan, and
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possibly a site in Laos called Tam Guuha
8:40
2 based on fossil shape. It's been
8:43
difficult to clearly classify
8:45
Dennisovvens because very few complete
8:47
bones or usable DNA samples have been
8:49
found. For example, a jawbone from
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Bishia cave was linked to Dennisovvens
8:54
using protein analysis, but no DNA has
8:57
been recovered from it yet.
8:59
Interestingly, fossils from Sema de
9:02
loses in Spain have mitochondrial DNA
9:05
inherited from mothers similar to
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Denisovvens, but their nuclear DNA
9:10
inherited from both parents is closer to
9:12
Neanderthalss.
9:14
This suggests a complicated family tree
9:17
among ancient humans.
9:19
Most of the information about
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Denisovvens has been inferred based on
9:23
analysis of modern human DNA. The
9:25
genetic diversity observed within the
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Denisan lineage suggests their deep
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divergence and separation into three
9:31
distinct branches across different
9:33
regions. The D0 lineage, often called
9:36
the Altidenisan lineage, is the best
9:39
studied and the only one directly
9:41
confirmed through ancient DNA
9:42
sequencing. It originates from Denisa
9:45
cave in the Alai Mountains of Siberia.
9:48
Multiple fossil remains have been
9:50
recovered from this cave and are
9:52
attributed to this group, including
9:54
Denisa 2, a juvenile mer genetically
9:57
sequenced and dated to over 100,000
9:59
years ago. Denisa 8, an adult mer dated
10:04
to around 120,000 years ago. Denisa 1920
10:09
and 21 show affinity to the older Ali
10:12
Denisven population and are dated to
10:14
roughly 160,000 to 200,000 years ago.
10:18
These individuals Denisa 2 8 19 2021
10:24
represent the earlier and more divergent
10:26
branch of Denisven in the Alai region.
10:29
By contrast, Denisa 3, a distal
10:32
fingerbone, and Denisa 4, another mer
10:36
younger, dated to about 50,000 to 76,000
10:39
years ago, and show greater genetic
10:41
similarity to Neanderls, possibly due to
10:44
increased ad mixture or regional
10:46
variation over time. These fossils
10:49
reflect the younger population of
10:50
Denisven in Denisa cave and suggest that
10:53
this site was occupied intermittently by
10:55
genetically distinct Denisven groups
10:57
over tens of thousands of years. Despite
11:00
the valuable DNA data, the D0 lineage
11:03
shows minimal genetic contribution to
11:05
modern human populations. This could
11:08
mean the Altidenisans had limited
11:10
contact with Homo sapiens or were
11:12
geographically isolated in Siberia.
11:15
Notably, Denisa 11 also belongs to this
11:18
lineage and reflects interactions
11:20
between archaic groups rather than
11:22
modern humans. The D1 Tibetan lineage is
11:25
genetically inferred from introgressed
11:27
Denisan DNA in modern East Asian
11:30
populations, particularly among Tibetans
11:33
and Hanchinese.
11:35
This lineage is distinct from the Altai
11:37
Denisans and is thought to have lived in
11:39
mainland East Asia, especially in the
11:41
Tibetan plateau.
11:43
The strongest evidence for this lineage
11:45
is the EPAS 1 gene in Tibetans which
11:49
confers an advantage in high alitude low
11:51
oxygen environments. This gene's origin
11:54
cannot be traced to the altidenisans
11:56
confirming it stems from a different
11:58
diverged denisan population. The fossil
12:02
likely associated with this lineage is
12:04
the Bishia cast cave mandible from Shahi
12:06
Tibet dated to around 160,000 years ago.
12:17
The D2 lineage or oustrala papapuendis
12:21
also called oian andanan lineage is
12:24
based entirely on genetic introgression
12:26
patterns found in modern papuins
12:28
Aboriginal Australians and Melanesians
12:31
who carry up to 5% Denisven ancestry the
12:35
highest known levels globally
12:37
this lineage is deeply diverged from
12:39
both the alai and east Asian denisian
12:41
ans suggesting a long separated and
12:44
possibly isolated population of Denisans
12:47
living in island Southeast Asia.
12:49
Although no direct fossil evidence has
12:52
yet been tied to the D2 lineage, it is
12:54
possible that this group occupied parts
12:56
of Wallacea or the Sundealth Islands.
13:00
Speculative links have been made to
13:02
archaic fossils such as those at
13:04
Nagandong Java or even homo
13:07
flororosensis on Flores, but no genetic
13:10
data confirm a denis of anan identity.
13:12
This lineage is thought to have
13:14
interbred with homo sapiens migrating
13:16
through Southeast Asia towards Sahul,
13:19
prehistoric Australia New Guinea,
13:21
leaving a substantial genomic legacy in
13:24
Oanan peoples.
13:27
The D3 lineage, Philippine Denisvens or
13:30
Negrito lineage, is genetically inferred
13:32
from indigenous Philippine populations,
13:35
especially the itamukon of northern
13:37
Luzon. These groups exhibit the highest
13:40
known proportion of Denisven DNA,
13:43
surpassing even Papwins. The D3 lineage
13:46
is deeply diverged from all other known
13:48
Denisven groups, implying a long
13:51
separate evolutionary trajectory likely
13:54
within the Philippine archipelago. The
13:56
populations of eastern Indonesians,
13:58
Papuans, Philippine Negritos, Siberians,
14:02
South Asians, and East Asians are among
14:04
the few existing groups that exhibit
14:06
substantial traces of genetic material
14:09
from Denisven. It is worth noting that
14:11
the region of islands Southeast Asia and
14:13
Papua, which consists of numerous
14:16
densely inhabited archipelos, holds some
14:19
of the earliest evidence of early
14:21
archaic humans outside Africa.
14:23
Additionally, it is believed that
14:25
archaic hominins like homo flororosensis
14:28
coexisted with modern humans in this
14:30
region. Modern Australian Aboriginals
14:33
and papwins have the highest proportion
14:35
of around 5 to 6% of Denisan ancestry
14:39
while American and mainland Asian
14:41
populations have a smaller proportion of
14:43
about2%.
14:45
A possible fossil link to this lineage
14:47
is Homol loanis
14:49
discovered in Kalao cave Luzon and dated
14:53
to at least 67,000 years ago. Though DNA
14:56
could not be extracted, the fossils
14:58
primitive and unique features hint at
15:00
regional evolution of a Denisanlike
15:03
population. The high Denisan ancestry in
15:06
present-day Negrito groups supports the
15:09
idea that early homo sapiens arriving in
15:11
the Philippines interbred with an
15:13
indigenous Denisan population forming
15:16
the D3 lineages legacy. The harbin
15:19
cranium found in northeastern China has
15:22
been linked to the denisans through
15:23
ancient DNA analysis. Although
15:26
researchers couldn't extract DNA from
15:28
the bone or tooth, they successfully
15:30
retrieved it from dental calculus.
15:32
hardened plaque on the teeth. Out of 20
15:36
DNA samples prepared, seven contained
15:38
Denisven specific genetic markers and
15:41
none had Neanderal markers pointing to a
15:44
Denisven connection. To avoid bias,
15:47
scientists compared the harbin DNA not
15:50
just to modern humans, but to a broad
15:52
ancestral DNA reference built from
15:54
various ancient homins.
15:57
The resulting mitochondrial DNA sequence
16:00
closely resembled that of known
16:02
Denisvens, supporting the idea that the
16:04
Harbin individual belonged to or was
16:06
closely related to this mysterious human
16:09
group.
16:11
Within the Denisven group, Harbin's
16:13
mitochondrial DNA is more similar to
16:15
older Denisvens, Denisa 2, 8, 19, 20,
16:19
and 21 than to the two younger ones,
16:22
Denise of a three and four, suggesting
16:25
an early divergence.
16:28
Earlier studies based on the skull shape
16:30
of Harbin had suggested it might belong
16:32
to a new species or be closely related
16:34
to Homo sapiens. But this new DNA study
16:38
shows that Harbin clearly falls within
16:40
the Denisven genetic range. Since the
16:43
Harbin skull is about 146,000 years old
16:46
and shares similar DNA, this suggests
16:49
Denisven lived widely across Asia during
16:51
the middle plea scene. This discovery is
16:54
important because it is the first time
16:56
Denisven DNA has been linked to physical
16:58
features in a wellpreserved fossil. It
17:01
may help scientists identify other
17:03
fossils like those from Dari, Jin Shan,
17:06
and Huong Dong as Denise of related even
17:10
if DNA isn't available by comparing bone
17:13
structure. However, the conclusion is
17:15
limited by the fact that only a small
17:17
amount of mitochondrial DNA was
17:19
recovered from harbin and no nuclear DNA
17:22
was found. The study of ancient DNA has
17:25
revealed significant genetic differences
17:27
between Denisvens and modern humans.
17:29
Denisven genomes differ from the
17:31
standard human genome by 11.7%
17:34
while the difference between
17:35
Neanderthalss and modern humans is
17:37
12.2%.
17:38
Denisvens and Neanderthalss are closely
17:41
related but distinct from homo sapiens.
17:44
Denisven show higher genetic diversity
17:47
than Neanderthalss but lower diversity
17:49
than modern humans indicating a larger
17:52
and more diverse population. Their
17:54
geographic distribution ranged from
17:56
North Asia to Southeast Asia. Denisven
18:00
carried genetic traits associated with
18:02
dark skin, brown hair, and brown eyes,
18:04
which are also present in modern humans.
18:07
Denisven likely played a role in
18:09
adaptive introgression, where early homo
18:12
sapiens acquired genes from Denisvens
18:14
that enhanced adaptation, disease
18:16
resistance, and immune systems. The
18:19
presence of human luccoite antigens in
18:21
modern humans inherited from Denise
18:24
supports this hypothesis.
18:27
For example, there is evidence that
18:29
adaptation to high altitude hypoxia
18:31
among modern-day Tibetans is a result of
18:34
introgression from Denisvens. There is
18:37
an argument that interbreeding between
18:39
humans and Denisovvens occurred east of
18:41
the Wallace's line, while another group
18:43
argues that interbreeding occurred
18:46
before humans crossed the Wallace's
18:48
line.
19:04
The distribution of Denisven DNA in
19:06
modern populations suggests significant
19:09
interbreeding may have occurred after
19:11
early humans crossed Wallace's line.
19:14
Indigenous groups in New Guinea,
19:16
Australia, and nearby islands exhibit
19:19
the highest levels of Denisan ancestry,
19:21
reaching 3 to 4%.
19:24
Interestingly, populations in mainland
19:27
Asia, despite Denisven's historical
19:29
range, show lower levels of Denisan DNA.
19:33
This disparity indicates that Denise and
19:36
modern human interactions were
19:38
concentrated east of Wallace's line,
19:40
likely shaped by migration and
19:42
ecological boundaries.
19:45
Mainland populations may have
19:46
experienced a replacement effect where
19:49
later waves of East Asian populations
19:52
diluted or replaced Denisven DNA.
19:56
Even in isolated groups like the Andaman
19:58
Islanders who show no ad mixture with
20:00
other populations, no Denisven DNA has
20:03
been found. Denisven lived across both
20:07
mainland and island Southeast Asia,
20:10
thriving in diverse environments.
20:13
During the plea scene, when sea levels
20:16
dropped, vast savannah regions on the
20:18
sunda shelf, now submerged, likely
20:21
served as migration routes and refuges
20:23
for Denisvens during climate changes.
20:27
This mobility may have allowed them to
20:29
interact with modern humans in island
20:31
Southeast Asia, resulting in genetic
20:33
mixing. The only ancient human species
20:37
known to have crossed Wallace's line
20:39
before modern humans is homoresis.
20:43
This species remains mysterious as
20:46
scientists are unsure of its exact
20:48
evolutionary origins.
20:51
Some studies suggest it evolved from an
20:53
early ancestor of Homo erectus or
20:56
perhaps from an even older and more
20:58
primitive human species.
21:01
Evidence of stone tools on Flores dated
21:04
to over 1 million years ago indicates
21:06
that these homminins arrived on the
21:08
island very early. However, it's
21:11
difficult to link homo floresiensis to
21:14
the denisven.
21:15
The denisven had larger mers teeth which
21:19
don't match the anatomy of homop
21:20
floresensis.
21:22
Moreover, genetic studies suggest that
21:25
Denisven and modern humans shared a
21:27
common ancestor between 170,000 and 1
21:31
million years ago.
21:33
This timeline makes it unlikely that
21:35
homo floresensis which had been isolated
21:38
in the wisea region for so long was
21:41
directly related to the denisven.
21:44
The denisven on the other hand likely
21:46
arrived later around 600,000 years ago
21:50
and spread across a wider area of Asia
21:52
and Southeast Asia.
21:55
Some Denisven fossils may yet be
21:57
undiscovered, but possible candidates
21:59
could include the homolusencis from
22:02
Philippines or other mysterious human
22:04
fossils found in places like Narmmada
22:06
and Dari, Ginyu Shan, Mara, and Zujio,
22:11
China.
22:12
These sites suggest that Denisven or
22:15
other ancient human species once had a
22:18
much broader range than previously
22:20
thought. Recently, evidence of human
22:23
activity has been found in the Kashmir
22:25
Valley, where around 300 to 400,000
22:28
years ago, humans relied on mammoth
22:31
carcasses, which further supports this
22:33
claim. The Dennisovven genome reveals
22:36
evidence of interbreeding with another
22:38
ancient population, but the identity of
22:41
this group remains a mystery. Scientists
22:44
speculate that Dennisovvens might have
22:46
mixed with older human species like Homo
22:49
erectus homo anticcessor or possibly a
22:52
late surviving homohyalbergis
22:55
in Asia. This raises intriguing
22:58
questions about how many ancient human
23:00
groups coexisted and interacted. The
23:04
fossil evidence from East Asia is
23:06
incomplete and scattered. But it hints
23:09
at a rich diversity of homminin species.
23:12
Discoveries like homo floresensis on
23:15
Flores and the homolusinesensis remains
23:17
from callo cave in the Luzon island of
23:20
Philippines suggest that multiple human
23:22
groups once inhabited wisaya.
23:25
This raises the possibility that some
23:28
early hominins might have even reached
23:30
New Guinea and Australia.
23:32
If true, it would mean ancient humans
23:35
were far more adaptable and capable of
23:38
long distance migration than previously
23:40
thought. Gene flow between Dennisovvens
23:44
and modern humans occurred primarily
23:46
east of Wallace's line, likely because
23:49
the circumstances of these encounters
23:51
were unique. Crossing Wallace's line
23:54
required watercraft, which suggests that
23:56
the first modern human groups reaching
23:58
Wallacea were small and isolated.
24:02
In such scenarios, interbreeding with
24:04
the established Dennisovven populations
24:06
may have been more likely as smaller
24:09
populations often rely on intergroup
24:11
mating to maintain genetic diversity.
24:15
Additionally, genetic signals from these
24:17
early interactions would be preserved
24:19
more easily in the descendants of such
24:21
small founding populations.
24:24
Interestingly, evidence suggests that
24:26
this gene flow was predominantly male
24:29
mediated, meaning Dennisovven males may
24:32
have interbred with modern human
24:34
females. This provides clues about the
24:37
nature of these interactions, though
24:39
much remains speculative.
24:42
Rapid dispersal into the tropical
24:44
regions of Wisa likely exposed early
24:47
modern humans to unfamiliar pathogens.
24:50
Hybridization with Dennisovvens who were
24:53
already adapted to the local environment
24:55
may have provided disease resistance
24:57
genes that offered a survival advantage.
25:01
This could have made interbreeding
25:02
beneficial and increased the likelihood
25:05
of these genetic traits being passed on
25:07
and preserved. As genomic research
25:10
progresses, it is expected to shed more
25:13
light on these interactions, revealing
25:15
how Neanderthal and Denisven DNA
25:18
contributed to the genetic makeup of
25:20
modern humans, and whether some of the
25:22
exchanged DNA had functional
25:24
significance, such as aiding in disease
25:28
resistance or environmental adaptation.
25:32
These discoveries are reshaping our
25:35
understanding of human evolution in
25:37
Asia, revealing it as a dynamic region
25:40
where multiple human species likely
25:43
interacted.
25:45
The presence of Denisven across such a
25:47
wide geographic range from Siberia to
25:51
China to Southeast Asia suggests they
25:54
were a significant part of Asia's
25:56
pleaene ecosystems.
25:59
[Music]