Plate Nº 74 · recorded October 30, 2026
Biology & EvolutionReported finding
Proteins From 20 Fossils Give Denisovans a Face of Their Own
Paleoproteomics identified 20 Xujiayao fossils as Denisovan, revealing a skull mixing Neanderthal, human and Homo erectus traits — plus a new facial reconstruction.
By Nathan Brooks3 min read622 words
In brief
- A study published Oct. 21 in Nature confirmed all 20 Xujiayao remains as Denisovan using paleoproteomics.
- The fossils date to 138,000–199,000 years ago and were excavated in the late 1970s.
- Denisovans vanished around 30,000 years ago and were first identified in 2010 from Siberian cave DNA.
- The skulls mix Homo erectus, Neanderthal, modern human and unique Denisovan traits.
- The findings argue against splitting East Asian Denisovans into species like Homo longi.
Twenty fossilized remains from northern China have all been confirmed as Denisovan — and their skulls reveal that this extinct human group looked distinctly different from anything we knew before.
The study, published October 21 in the journal Nature, analyzed skulls from the archaeological site of Xujiayao in northern China. The fossils, excavated in the late 1970s, are between 138,000 and 199,000 years old. For decades, scientists classified them as either Neanderthals or archaic Homo sapiens, because nobody knew Denisovans existed yet.
That changed with paleoproteomics — the study of proteins preserved in bone and tooth, which survive far longer than DNA. Using this technique, the research team detected specific genetic variants that separate Denisovans from every other ancient human group. All 20 Xujiayao remains matched the Denisovan signature.
Who were the Denisovans?
Denisovans are a group of ancient humans who lived across Asia and disappeared roughly 30,000 years ago — about ten times longer ago than the Roman Empire. Researchers first identified them in 2010, from DNA extracted out of a single finger bone found in a Siberian cave.
Since then, their physical appearance has stayed largely a mystery. Denisovan DNA survives poorly in warm Asian climates, so proteins — tougher molecular building blocks — became the next best tool.
What did their skulls look like?
The Xujiayao skulls blend features from three different human lineages:
- A low, wide braincase and thick cranial bones, similar to Homo erectus
- Bicuspid teeth (the ones between canines and molars) resembling Neanderthals and modern humans
- A uniquely Denisovan back of the skull — more vertical and less rounded than in either Neanderthals or us
"This unique combination of morphological traits, distinct from H. erectus, modern humans and Neanderthal-lineage hominins, supports the assignment of most members of East Asian late Middle Pleistocene archaic Homo as Denisovans," the researchers wrote in the study.
Does this settle the species debate?
Not quite — but it pushes back on splitting Denisovans into multiple species. The team compared the Xujiayao fossils with East Asian remains that some experts have assigned to separate species, such as Homo juluensis and Homo longi. They found enough similarity to argue against those splits.
If they're right, Denisovans formed one single lineage that adapted to wildly different ecological zones across Asia over hundreds of thousands of years.
Study co-author Qiaomei Fu, director of the Ancient DNA Laboratory at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, cautioned that the picture isn't complete. "It is still possible that there are some other lineages that existed in East Asia during the time Denisovans are known to have existed," Fu said.
Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London who wasn't involved in the research, agreed the story could still shift. "We know from DNA that Denisovans were a very varied group genetically, which split early into different populations," Stringer said. "These could have developed a lot of morphological variation, which may well surprise us as the sample of fossils grows."
A new face for a Denisovan man
The researchers also produced a fresh reconstruction of a Denisovan man's face, built on the newly understood skull shape. A previous DNA study suggested Denisovans likely had dark skin, brown hair and brown eyes.
In the reconstruction, the man looks straight at the viewer. His low, wide braincase hides mostly beneath dark hair swept back from a massive brow ridge. He resembles both Neanderthals and modern humans in places, yet the face remains unmistakably his own.
The findings turn 20 mislabeled bones from a 1970s dig into the clearest portrait yet of humanity's most elusive cousin — and, as Stringer notes, growing fossil samples may keep reshaping that portrait.
via doi.org (Original)
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