A major breakthrough has brought scientists closer to solving a long-standing mystery about the Denisovans — an extinct group of ancient humans closely related to modern humans and Neanderthals. A remarkably well-preserved 146,000-year-old skull discovered in Harbin, northeastern China, is now believed to represent one of the clearest examples of a Denisovan fossil ever found.
Who Were the Denisovans?
The Denisovans were first identified in 2010 through DNA extracted from a finger bone found in Siberia’s Denisova Cave. While genetic evidence confirmed their existence, fossil remains have been scarce and incomplete — making it difficult to understand their physical features and evolutionary history.
Harbin Skull Offers a New Window Into the Past
A team of researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted two separate studies, published in Science and Cell. Their findings reveal that the Harbin skull — initially proposed as a new species named Homo longi — shares strong anatomical and genetic similarities with known Denisovan remains.
Groundbreaking Molecular Evidence
Using innovative techniques, scientists extracted mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the dental calculus of the skull and analyzed ancient proteins. They identified over 20,000 peptides, providing the highest-quality ancient human proteome data to date — with 11 times more coverage than previous fossil analyses. These results confirmed that the Harbin individual belonged to an early Denisovan lineage.
Denisovan Range May Have Been Wider Than Thought
This discovery significantly expands our understanding of the Denisovans’ geographic reach. Previously, Denisovan fossils had only been found in Siberia and Tibet. The new evidence suggests that Denisovans may have been widespread across northern China during the late Middle Pleistocene.
New Questions for Human Evolution Research
The Harbin skull is the most complete Denisovan fossil discovered so far and provides crucial reference points for identifying other ancient remains in East Asia. However, it also raises new questions: Did Denisovans migrate further south in China? How did they interact with other ancient human populations?
Researchers believe continued analysis could reshape our understanding of human evolution in Asia and how ancient human species may have coexisted and even interbred.
