Late Pleistocene Homo
Denisovans
400–30 ka·370 ka·Discovered 2010
Description
Identified first by DNA from a finger bone. They left us the EPAS1 gene — altitude adaptation that Tibetans carry.
Notable facts
- Identified by DNA, not anatomy
- Their gene helps Tibetans live above 4000 m
- Hybridized with Neanderthals and sapiens
- Only ~5 direct fossils known
Key specimens
Denisova 3
Finger phalanx
The famous finger bone whose DNA revealed an unknown species in 2010.
Xiahe mandible
Tibetan mandible
160,000-year-old mandible from Baishiya Cave, Tibet, confirmed via protein analysis.
Cobra Cave teeth
Laos molars
Pleistocene molars suggesting Denisovans reached Southeast Asia.
Anatomy
Inferred large robust skull from Xiahe mandible.
Locomotion
Modern bipedal.
Diet
Variable: highland and forest environments.
Tools & culture
Sophisticated tools found in Denisova Cave layers.
Where to see it
Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk.
Media & references
Image ·
Wikimedia Commons · Wikipedia article
Reich et al. (2010). Genetic history of an archaic hominin group from Denisova Cave in Siberia. Nature.
doi: 10.1038/nature09710 ↗