A mysterious cavern deep in the wastelands of Siberia held the secret of a third race of Man for 30,000 years.
The DNA of a fossilized finger bone and tooth—discovered in a cave located in the Altai mountain range—were analyzed and found to be part of the remains of a young female. Subsequent analysis confirmed the finger fragment came from a five to seven-year-old prehistoric girl. The remains were found next to personal jewelry.
Thrilled researchers dubbed the ancient human female the “X-woman.” The informal nickname for the girl was eventually replaced by a formal name for the third race of Man: the Denisovans.
Gene mapping expands anthropology
The 2008 discovery was one of the most important since the leap in genetic analysis that has re-energized and vastly expanded the science of anthropology.
Biological breakthroughs advancing the mapping of genes permits mitochondrial DNA to be traced back in humans.
DNA analysis has provided other significant discoveries including providing hard the human race appeared much earlier than previously thought—as far back as 2.5 million years ago—and other startling revelations such as the fact that Neanderthals were a much more robust race, did not fall into total extinction and interbred with the ancestors of Homo Sapiens.
Researchers confirm the fossilized tooth is similar to extremely old pre-humans—possibly Homo Erectus—that were believed to have become extinct one million years ago. The tooth, however, opens the door to the possibility that Homo Erectus did not die out but instead evolved into the Denisovans.
The Denisovan people
Unlike their relatives, the Neanderthals, the Denisovan people walked upright. Scientists believe Denisovans were very similar to Homo Sapiens. Their distinct genetic pattern, however, makes them a third species of Man that lived amongst the other two species as late as the last major Ice Age. According to the researchers’ paper published in the journal Nature, the finger and tooth came from two different individuals.
As the research progressed, the scientists encountered more surprises: extracted DNA samples of the Denisovan matched DNA extracts present modern Melanesians. Melanesia is an island that lies to the east and north of the Australian continent. Therefore, researchers theorize that the Denisovans must have interbred with ancestors of the Asians and the third species may have been widespread throughout the continent. If so, then many Asians carry the genes of the ancient Denisovans. And the third race of Man lived form Siberia to as far south as Australasia.
The breakthrough research was done by a scientific team at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany. The effort was led by Professor Svante Paabo. Commenting on the research, Paabo simply stated: “A species of early human living in Europe evolved.”
Despite Paabo’s modest statement, the discovery was described by Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London as “nothing short of sensational.” It changes the entire picture of ancient Man, evolution and the “family tree” that’s becoming more and more complicated.
David Reich from the Harvard Medical School, worked with Svante Paabo on the study. In a BBC interview he said, “It is fascinating to see direct evidence that these archaic species did exist (alongside us) and it’s only for the last few tens of thousands of years that is unique in our history that we are alone on this planet and we have no close relatives with us anymore.”
Recently, newer research has shown the rise of the Denisovans as long as 80,000 years in the past. The biologicaql research that is impacting the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and medicine, has uncovered evidence of eight genes that developed within the Denisovans that led to modern humans cognitive abilities and communication skills. Those skills paved the way for cultures to develop and the birth of civilization.
Businessweek reports that Svante Paabo reported the newest findings during an August 29, 2012 conference call.
“This is perhaps in the long term, to me, the most fascinating part about this; what it will tell us in the future about what makes us special in the world,” he said about the ongoing research.
