Illustration of a teenage girl who is the offspring of a Neanderthal mother and Denisovan father
JOHN BAVARO FINE ART/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
For only the second time, researchers have obtained the full genome of a Denisovan, a group of ancient humans who lived in Asia. The DNA was extracted from a single 200,000-year-old tooth found in a Siberian cave.
The genome reveals that there were at least three populations of Denisovans, with different histories. It also shows that early Denisovans interbred with an unidentified group of ancient humans – and with a hitherto-unknown population of Neanderthals.
