Chinese laborer hid mysterious skull for 85 years. Now scientists know who is this ancient 'Dragon Man'
In 1933, a laborer working on a bridge in Harbin, northeastern China, stumbled upon a large human-like skull. Suspecting its value, he hid it in an abandoned well, where it remained untouched and unknown to science for more than eight decades. It was only shortly before his death in 2018 that he revealed its existence to his family, who later donated it to Hebei GEO University. What researchers have now uncovered is extraordinary: the skull—nicknamed Dragon Man—likely belonged to a Denisovan, a mysterious and extinct group of archaic humans.
The Skull That Defied Classification
When scientists first analyzed the fossil, they dated it to at least 146,000 years ago and proposed a new species name, Homo longi, in reference to the Black Dragon River (Heilongjiang) region where it was discovered. The skull's unusual features—flat cheekbones, a massive braincase, thick brow ridges, and an oversized tooth—didn't fit neatly into known human species. Some experts speculated it might be Denisovan, a population known only through a few bone fragments and teeth, mostly found in Denisova Cave in Siberia.
But confirmation eluded scientists—until now.
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A Breakthrough in Ancient DNA
Dr. Qiaomei Fu, a geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and one of the scientists who helped first identify Denisovans in 2010, led the recent breakthrough. After years of failed attempts to extract DNA from the skull's bone and tooth, her team turned to a less conventional source: hardened dental plaque. To their surprise, they recovered fragments of mitochondrial DNA from the dental calculus that closely matched the Denisovan genome.
The findings, published in two landmark studies this week in Cell and Science, also include protein analysis from the skull's petrous bone, which independently confirmed its Denisovan origin.
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'This is the first time we've linked a full skull to the Denisovans using molecular evidence,' Fu was quoted as saying by CNN. 'It finally puts a face to a name that's been elusive for 15 years.'
Solving a Human Evolution Puzzle
First identified through a 66,000-year-old pinkie bone in Siberia, Denisovans were a sister group to Neanderthals and shared a common ancestor with modern humans around 600,000 years ago. Though genetic traces of Denisovans have been found in present-day populations in Asia and the Pacific, their physical form remained largely a mystery.
The Harbin skull changes that. Scientists reconstructed its face, revealing a tall male with a broad mouth, wide nose, large teeth, and a brain comparable in size—or slightly larger—than that of modern humans and Neanderthals. Experts believe the skull could represent the most complete Denisovan fossil ever found.
"This is one of the most significant paleoanthropological discoveries of the year," said Ryan McRae, a paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian, who was not involved in the research. "It confirms Denisovans weren't just a ghost lineage known from DNA, but a real, robust group of ancient humans."
What's in a Name?
While the discovery confirms a Denisovan identity for the Harbin skull, debate remains over its scientific classification. Some researchers argue that the name Homo longi—proposed in 2021—should now be considered the formal species name for Denisovans, as it's the first Denisovan fossil with a clear morphological identity.
Others, like paleoanthropologist John Hawks, believe Denisovans belong within the broader Homo sapiens family, given their ability to interbreed with modern humans and Neanderthals.
'Whatever we call them, this is a massive leap forward,' Hawks told the New York Times. 'The mystery of who the Denisovans were is finally beginning to lift.'
Looking Ahead
Fu says the discovery is just the beginning. 'Now that we've linked a skull to Denisovans, we can re-examine other mysterious fossils in Asia with fresh eyes,' she said.
Her goal: to build a clearer picture of what Denisovans looked like across time and geography—and to better understand how their legacy continues in the DNA of people today.
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