INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A ghost lineage comes to lifeDenisovans are the ghost in our family tree
sense but no physical form we can touch
face.Paleogeneticists have recovered Denisovan DNA from tiny fragments of bone and teeth, and even from the soil of a cave floor
Genomics researchers have found segments of Denisovan DNA woven into the genomes of some modern humans, revealing just how close our two
something slightly different from Homo sapiens or Neanderthals
We even know when and where they lived and a surprising amount about their genetics, and we have some very strong hints about how they
interacted with our species and with Neanderthals
But we didn't really know what they looked like, and we couldn't hope to identify their fossils without turning to DNA or protein
sequences.Until now.
Neanderthals and Denisovans probably enjoyed the view from Denisova Cave, too.
Credit:
loronet / Flickr
The face of a DenisovanSo what did a Denisovan
look like? Harbin 1 has a wide, flattish face with small cheekbones, big eye sockets, and a heavy brow
Its upper jaw juts forward just a little, and it had big, robust molars
traits, like the large molars and the long, low cranium, resemble those of earlier hominin species such as Homo erectus or Homo
Others, like a relatively flat face, set beneath the cranium instead of sticking out in front of it, look more like us
behind their faces instead of partly above them, like ours.)
