Science & Nature · 3
What is the name of the ancient hominin species identified in 2010 entirely from ancient DNA extracted from a finger bone found in a Siberian cave?
Answer
Denisovans
In 2010, a research team led by Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute identified an entirely new human species — the Denisovans — from ancient DNA extracted from a finger bone found in Denisova Cave, Siberia. No other human species has ever been identified purely through ancient DNA without a recognisable skeleton.
💡 Did you know?
Denisovans are the only human species identified purely through ancient DNA — their genes survive in modern Pacific Islanders, who carry up to 5% Denisovan ancestry in their genome.
Other options people guess
- Homo naledi
- Homo floresiensis
- Homo luzonensis
Topics
- archaeology
- ancient-history
- dna-analysis
- mysteries
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