New Scientist
Imagine: Katerina Douka
Almost a decade ago, researchers sequenced DNA from an ancient bone fragment to reveal that it belonged to a woman from an entirely new group of humans. After years of waiting, we are now getting our first glimpse of the only confirmed home of the Denisovans.
Named after the Denisova cave in Siberia, where the ancient bone was found, these humans lived in Stone Age Eurasia alongside our species and the Neanderthals. Although we have discovered more about these people since the bone was discovered (see “Who lived in a cave like this?”), we have heard very little about Denisova cave.
That has now changed after an international team of researchers published two papers that make it clear the cave is every bit as extraordinary as its ancient occupants. Not only do the papers give us a better understanding of who lived there and when, they reveal some of the objects those residents made. “Some of the material is beautiful,” says Thomas Higham at the University of Oxford. “We think it may be the earliest of its kind in Eurasia.” Read more on newscientist.com…
