Ancient Human Relative Leaves Molars And DNA In Siberian Cave

The DNA from two Denisovan molars has enabled a team of international researchers to have more clues about the ancient human relative, according to a study. The molars, along with a finger bone were found in Denisova caves in Siberia. 

The DNA analysis of the molars is revealing new information about the origins of the Denisovans, a hominin species that lived approximately one hundred thousand years ago.

The researchers found that the bone belonged to the same species. The age of the bone dates back to about 110,000 years ago, which was the time of the Neanderthals - a human relative - and early humans were also evolving at the time.

The molars revealed that the Denisovans had large jaws, which were similar to the Neanderthals'. In addition, the researchers found that the Denisovans shared similar genetic diversity, like modern humans. This slightly separated them from the Neanderthals and modern Melanesian humans, who share five percent of their genome. They mostly likely interbred with humans. The researchers claimed that the owners of the teeth probably lived in Siberia for a long period.

Denisovans are a human cousin, but they eventually became extinct like the Neanderthal. Researchers believe that the Denisovans were hunter gathers and they passed down similar traits to various human groups. The identification of the Denisovans species has led researchers to believe that other human relatives had once existed.

The findings of this study were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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