Studia Humanitatis (Oct 2023)
The geneticist parts of a little finger... Denisovans, DNA and science in the making
Abstract
The Denisova man is an extinct human-like member of the genus Homo. In March 2010 it was announced that the remains of a young individual who lived approx. 50,000 years ago had been found in the Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains – an area that was inhabited by Neanderthals and modern humans around the same time. The presence of Denisova man has been also found as far south as Laos. Denisova man is a descendant of hominids migrants from Africa. So far, Denisova DNA has been found in East Asians as well as indigenous people from Papua New Guinea and Australia. Therefore, it is believed that Denisova man lived in Siberia and East Asia. It is well worth pointing out that the knowledge on the Denisovan anatomy is still limited and the question of them being a separate species remains disputed, and that this means that given problem continues to be discussed within genetic relationships between prehistoric and present day humans. It is obvious that modern science still has more questions than answers when studying the Denisova man.
