Latest news with #Neanderthals
New York Post
10 hours ago
- Science
- New York Post
Fossilized ‘Dragon Man' skull clears up baffling ‘mystery' behind early humans: scientists
A skull, unearthed nearly a century ago, has led to new revelations in the study of human evolution. Known as 'Dragon Man,' the fossil has now been identified as belonging to the Denisovans — a mysterious group of ancient humans whose existence was first revealed through DNA analysis in 2010. The 'Dragon Man' belongs to the Denisovans — a mysterious group of ancient humans. Hebei GEO University Advertisement 'I really feel that we have cleared up some of the mystery surrounding this population,' Qiaomei Fu, a researcher who was a part of the 2010 discovery team and led the new study, told CNN. 'After 15 years, we know the first Denisovan skull.' The findings also provide a glimpse into what the Denisovans may have looked like. Scientists have reconstructed an artist's impression of 'Dragon Man,' showing a robust, blocky face with strong brow ridges, a feature common in other ancient human species. Advertisement With a brain size comparable to both Neanderthals and modern humans, Denisovans would have had a physically powerful appearance, likely adapted to the harsh environments they inhabited. The 'Dragon Man' skull, which dates to 146,000 years ago and was discovered in 1933 by a laborer in Harbin City, China — when it was under Japanese occupation — was long shrouded in mystery. The worker had found the cranium while building a bridge, but rather than handing it over to science, he stashed it at the bottom of a well, where it remained untouched for decades until his death in 2018. His family then donated it to Hebei GEO University, CNN reported. The 'Dragon' Man skull, which was discovered in 1933 by a laborer in Harbin City, China, was long shrouded in mystery. Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Advertisement With the discovery of this nearly complete skull, scientists have finally pieced together a face for the Denisovans, offering new insights into the history of humanity. In 2021, scientists first proposed that the skull might belong to a new species of human, naming it Homo longi, or 'Dragon Man,' which is derived from Heilongjiang, or Black Dragon River, the province where the it was found. The skull's unusual features — such as its massive brow ridges and broad, low face—were unlike those of any previously known human species. However, as exciting as this discovery was, it raised many questions. Advertisement The mystery deepened as researchers struggled to extract DNA from the skull, which had been buried for so long. Despite several attempts, initial efforts to analyze its genetic material proved unsuccessful. It wasn't until scientists turned to a different source — dental plaque — that they found the breakthrough they needed. The DNA pointed to a surprising connection to the Denisovans, an ancient human group that had been identified through a tiny pinky bone found in a Siberian cave over a decade ago. The discovery of this fossil marked the first evidence of Denisovans outside of their original home in Siberia. Until now, no complete Denisovan skull had ever been found, leaving researchers with only small pieces of the puzzle to work with. The 'Dragon Man' skull changes that, providing a much-needed clue to help scientists piece together what these ancient relatives might have looked like. The new research, published in two groundbreaking papers in Cell and Science, not only provided mitochondrial DNA evidence but also revealed protein fragments extracted from the skull that further cemented its Denisovan identity. The analysis of these proteins showed a clear match to known Denisovan traits, confirming the connection beyond doubt. The 'Dragon Man' discovery adds a new layer to our understanding of human evolution, shedding light on a period when multiple human species roamed the Earth. Denisovans, Neanderthals, and early Homo sapiens coexisted and even interbred, leaving behind traces of their DNA in modern humans. In fact, many people today carry small amounts of Denisovan DNA, a legacy of these ancient encounters.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Neanderthal extinction: a space physicist reopens the debate
Neanderthals have long been the subject of intense scientific debate. This is largely because we still lack clear answers to some of the big questions about their existence and supposed disappearance. One of the latest developments is a recent study from the University of Michigan, published in the journal Science Advances. It proposes that Neanderthals went extinct for astrophysical reasons. The work was led by Agnit Mukhopadhyay, an expert in space physics, a discipline that studies natural plasmas, especially those found within our own solar system. Plasma is the state of matter that dominates the universe: the Sun and stars are huge balls of plasma, as are the northern lights. Mukhopadhyay's research suggests that a shift in the Earth's magnetic poles around 41,000 years ago, known as the Laschamp event, may have contributed to the extinction of Neanderthals. According to his work, the extreme weakening of the Earth's magnetic field during that event allowed for greater penetration of cosmic and ultraviolet radiation. This would have generated more aggressive environmental conditions that Neanderthals could not withstand, giving our own species, Homo sapiens, an edge. In this context, sapiens would have had an advantage over Neanderthals thanks to their presumed use of close-fitting clothing, ochre – a mineral with protective properties against the sun – and taking shelter in caves. Caves which, by the way, on numerous occasions were inhabited by both Neanderthals and our own species. The hypothesis is interesting, and is based on innovative three-dimensional models of the Earth's geospatial system during this period. However, as with many hypotheses that attempt to explain complex phenomena on the basis of a single variable, its scope and some of the assumptions on which it is based need to be examined more closely. One of the pillars of this hypothesis is that Neanderthals did not wear tight-fitting clothing, and would therefore have been more exposed to the harmful effects of solar radiation. It is true that sewing needles have not been definitvely linked to Neanderthals. The first needles documented in Eurasia are associated with either Denisovan or sapiens populations around 50,000 years ago, and in western Europe they did not appear until around 23,000 years ago. But this does not mean that Neanderthals did not wear clothing. In fact, the Homo sapiens who lived during episodes of extreme cold (such as the Heinrich 4 event, which occurred some 39,600 years ago) did not have sewing needles either, but they did have enough technology to make garments, and possibly tents and footwear. There is ample archaeological evidence of Neanderthals processing hides, such as the systematic use of scrapers and other tools associated with the tanning process. However, the use of fur or clothing has much older origins. In fact, the genetic study of lice has revealed that humans were already wearing clothing at least 200,000 years ago. Furthermore, in cold environments such as those they inhabited in Europe, it would have been unfeasible to survive without some form of body protection. Even if they did not have needles, it is very plausible that they used alternative systems such as ligatures or bone splinters to adapt animal hides to the body. The absence of needles should not be confused with the absence of functional clothing. The study also highlights the use of ochre by Homo sapiens, which it says offered protection against solar radiation. Although experiments have been carried out to demonstrate certain blocking capacities of ochre against ultraviolet (UV) rays, its use by human populations is not limited to a single group. In fact, evidence of pigment use during the same period has been found in Africa, the Near East and the Iberian Peninsula, and among different human lineages. The use of ochre has been documented in Neanderthal contexts for more than 100,000 years, both in Europe and in the Levant. Its application may have had multiple purposes: symbolic, therapeutic, cosmetic, healing, and even an insect repellent. There are no solid grounds for claiming that its use for protective purposes was exclusive to Homo sapiens, especially when both species shared spaces and technologies for millennia. Nor can we be sure that it was used as a protective sunscreen. Leer más: One of the most significant factors may have been the marked difference in population size. There were fewer Neanderthals, meaning they would have been assimilated by the much more numerous populations of Homo sapiens. This assimilation is reflected in the DNA of current populations, suggesting that, rather than becoming extinct, Neanderthals were absorbed into the evolutionary process. Technology also played a part– as far as we know, Neanderthals did not use hunting weapons at a distance. The invention and use of projectiles associated with hunting activities – first in stone and later in hard animal materials – appear to be an innovation specific to Homo sapiens. Their development may have given them an adaptive advantage in open environments, and a greater capacity to exploit different prey and environments. Leer más: Associating the Neanderthal 'extinction' to their supposed failure to adapt to increased solar radiation during the Laschamp excursion oversimplifies a phenomenon that remains the subject of heated debate. Put simply, the archaeological record does not support Mukhopadhyay's hypothesis. There is no evidence of an abrupt demographic collapse coinciding with this geomagnetic event, nor of a widespread catastrophic impact on other human or animal species. Moreover, if solar radiation had been such a determining factor, one would expect high mortality also among populations of sapiens that did not wear tight clothing or live in caves (in warm regions of Africa, for instance). As far as we know, this did not happen. When trying to explain the disappearance of Neanderthals, it is vital that we integrate multiple lines of archaeological, paleoanthropological and genetic evidence. These humans were not simply victims of their own technological clumsiness or of a hostile environment that they failed to cope with. They were an adaptive and culturally complex species that, for more than 300,000 years, survived multiple climatic changes – including other geomagnetic shifts such as the Blake event, which occurred about 120,000 years ago. Neanderthals developed sophisticated tools, dominated vast territories and shared many more traits with us than was assumed for decades. So did the magnetic reversal of the Earth's magnetic poles wipe out the Neanderthals? The answer is: probably not. Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en The Conversation, un sitio de noticias sin fines de lucro dedicado a compartir ideas de expertos académicos. Lee mas: Neanderthals: the oldest art in the world wasn't made by Homo sapiens Modern human DNA contains bits from all over the Neanderthal genome – except the Y chromosome. What happened? How Neanderthal language differed from modern human – they probably didn't use metaphors Las personas firmantes no son asalariadas, ni consultoras, ni poseen acciones, ni reciben financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y han declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado anteriormente.
Arab Times
17 hours ago
- Science
- Arab Times
Early humans survived in a range of extreme environments before global migration: study
WASHINGTON, June 19, (AP): Humans are the only animal that lives in virtually every possible environment, from rainforests to deserts to tundra. This adaptability is a skill that long predates the modern age. According to a new study published Wednesday in Nature, ancient Homo sapiens developed the flexibility to survive by finding food and other resources in a wide variety of difficult habitats before they dispersed from Africa about 50,000 years ago. "Our superpower is that we are ecosystem generalists,' said Eleanor Scerri, an evolutionary archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena, Germany. Our species first evolved in Africa around 300,000 years ago. While prior fossil finds show some groups made early forays outside the continent, lasting human settlements in other parts of the world didn't happen until a series of migrations around 50,000 years ago. "What was different about the circumstance of the migrations that succeeded - why were humans ready this time?' said study co-author Emily Hallett, an archaeologist at Loyola University Chicago. Earlier theories held that Stone Age humans might have made a single important technological advance or developed a new way of sharing information, but researchers haven't found evidence to back that up. This study took a different approach by looking at the trait of flexibility itself. The scientists assembled a database of archaeological sites showing human presence across Africa from 120,000 to 14,000 years ago. For each site, researchers modeled what the local climate would have been like during the time periods that ancient humans lived there. "There was a really sharp change in the range of habitats that humans were using starting around 70,000 years ago,' Hallett said. "We saw a really clear signal that humans were living in more challenging and more extreme environments.' While humans had long survived in savanna and forests, they shifted into everything from dense rainforests to arid deserts in the period leading up to 50,000 years ago, developing what Hallett called an "ecological flexibility that let them succeed.' While this leap in abilities is impressive, it's important not to assume that only Homo sapiens did it, said University of Bordeaux archaeologist William Banks, who was not involved in the research. Other groups of early human ancestors also left Africa and established long-term settlements elsewhere, including those that evolved into Europe's Neanderthals, he said. The new research helps explain why humans were ready to expand across the world way back when, he said, but it doesn't answer the lasting question of why only our species remains today.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Haunting ‘Dragon Man' skull is first ever found from lost human cousin ‘Denisovan' species that lived 217,000 years ago
The massive size of the skull also suggests a very large body, which could have help it survive brutal winters in northeastern China BONE BROTHER Haunting 'Dragon Man' skull is first ever found from lost human cousin 'Denisovan' species that lived 217,000 years ago Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE face of humans' most mysterious ancestor has finally been uncovered after 217,000 years. The discovery proves that the 'Dragon Man' of China is indeed a Denisovan, a long lost ancestral species. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The fossil, which is at least 146,000 years old, reveals Denisovan's had a prominent brow ridge and a brain as large as modern humans and Neanderthals Credit: Xijun Ni It is the first time a near-complete skull has been definitively linked to the extinct people. The fossil, which is at least 146,000 years old, reveals Denisovans had a prominent brow ridge and a brain as large as modern humans and Neanderthals. They even had more modern features, like delicate cheekbones. Their relatively flat lower face doesn't jut out like it does in other primates and more ancient hominins. The massive size of the skull also suggests a very large body, which could have helped it survive brutal winters in northeastern China. "Having a well-preserved skull like this one allows us to compare the Denisovans to many more different specimens found in very different places," paleoanthropologist Bence Viola of the University of Toronto, who was not involved in the new study, told National Geographic. "This means we might be able to compare their body proportions and start thinking about their adaptations to climate, for example." Scientists have long speculated about the appearance of the mysterious Denisovans. Other bones relating to the ancient ancestor have been discovered over the decades, such as a robust jawbone found off the coast of Taiwan in the 2000s which was recently attributed to the Denisovans. But none more intact than the 'Dragon Man' or 'Harbin skull'. Face of oldest direct human ancestor, which lived 3.8million years ago, revealed by scientists A finger bone found in Denisova Cave, Siberia, in 2010 was the first example of the elusive Denisovans - and where they got their unofficial name. "It's really exciting to finally have Denisovan DNA from a nearly complete cranium," Janet Kelso, a computational biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told Nature. "We finally have some insights into the cranial morphology of the Denisovans." 4 Other bones relating to the ancient ancestor have been discovered over the decades, such as a robust jawbone found off the coast of Taiwan in the 2000s which was recently attributed to the Denisovans Credit: Yousuke Kaifu In 2021, a team of Chinese researchers made the controversial claim that a bizarre skull they had found could belong to a previously unknown species. They dubbed this unknown species Homo longi, nicknamed 'Dragon Man', inspired by the Long Jiang Dragon River region where the skull was found. The fossil is believed to have been hidden by a Chinese labourer for 85 years, before the man's grandson handed the specimen to Qiang Ji, a palaeontologist at Hebei GEO University in Shijiazhuang in 2018. Ji, who co-authored the original Homo longi paper, suspects the man discovered the artefact himself but failed to report it to authorities. The grandson claimed the fossil was unearthed the fossil in 1933 during bridge-construction work over the Long Jiang river. The construction worker then supposedly buried it in an abandoned well, where it remained until a deathbed confession. When Ji published his findings in 2021, Qiaomei Fu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing - who worked on the very first Denisovan DNA from the Siberian finger bone - wanted to see if they shared any ancient molecules. Ji and Fu's team first attempted to extract ancient DNA from a part of the skull called the petrous bone in the inner ear - where DNA might survive after 146,000 years - and from an attached tooth. They didn't recover any genetic material. But what they did find was sequence fragments from 95 ancient proteins from the petrous samples. One protein sequence from the Dragon Man fossil was identical to that of a protein from the Siberian finger bone, as well as Denisovan bones from Tibet and Taiwan, the experts reveal in two papers published in the journals Science and Cell this week. This protein sequence differed from modern humans and Neanderthals - suggesting the man was likely a Denisovan. "After 15 years, we give the Denisovan a face," said Fu. "It's really a special feeling, I feel really happy." It is understood the new species will adopt the Homo longi name, like we humans are Homo sapiens. 4 The massive size of the skull also suggests a very large body, which could have helped it survive brutal winters in northeastern China Credit: Chuang Zhao
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Haunting ‘Dragon Man' skull is first ever found from lost human cousin ‘Denisovan' species that lived 217,000 years ago
THE face of humans' most mysterious ancestor has finally been uncovered after 217,000 years. The discovery proves that the 'Dragon Man' of China is indeed a Denisovan, a long lost ancestral species. Advertisement 4 The fossil, which is at least 146,000 years old, reveals Denisovan's had a prominent brow ridge and a brain as large as modern humans and Neanderthals Credit: Xijun Ni It is the first time a near-complete skull has been definitively linked to the extinct people. The fossil, which is at least 146,000 years old, reveals Denisovans had a prominent brow ridge and a brain as large as modern humans and Neanderthals. They even had more modern features, like delicate cheekbones. Their relatively flat lower face doesn't jut out like it does in other primates and more ancient hominins. Advertisement READ MORE ON ARCHAEOLOGY The massive size of the skull also suggests a very large body, which could have helped it survive brutal winters in northeastern China. "Having a well-preserved skull like this one allows us to compare the Denisovans to many more different specimens found in very different places," paleoanthropologist Bence Viola of the University of Toronto, who was not involved in the new study, told " This means we might be able to compare their body proportions and start thinking about their adaptations to climate, for example." Scientists have long speculated about the appearance of the mysterious Denisovans. Advertisement Most read in Science Exclusive Exclusive Other bones relating to the ancient ancestor have been discovered over the decades, such as a But none more intact than the 'Dragon Man' or 'Harbin skull'. Face of oldest direct human ancestor, which lived 3.8million years ago, revealed by scientists A finger bone found in Denisova Cave, Siberia, in 2010 was the first example of the elusive Denisovans - and where they got their unofficial name. "It's really exciting to finally have Denisovan DNA from a nearly complete cranium," Janet Kelso, a computational biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told Advertisement "We finally have some insights into the cranial morphology of the Denisovans." 4 Other bones relating to the ancient ancestor have been discovered over the decades, such as a robust jawbone found off the coast of Taiwan in the 2000s which was recently attributed to the Denisovans Credit: Yousuke Kaifu In 2021, a team of Chinese researchers made the controversial claim that a bizarre skull they had found could belong to a previously unknown species. They dubbed this unknown species Homo longi, nicknamed 'Dragon Man', inspired by the Long Jiang Dragon River region where the skull was found. Advertisement The fossil is believed to have been hidden by a Chinese labourer for 85 years, before the man's grandson handed the specimen to Qiang Ji, a palaeontologist at Hebei GEO University in Shijiazhuang in 2018. Ji, who co-authored the original Homo longi paper, suspects the man discovered the artefact himself but failed to report it to authorities. The grandson claimed the fossil was unearthed the fossil in 1933 during bridge-construction work over the Long Jiang river. The construction worker then supposedly buried it in an abandoned well, where it remained until a deathbed confession. Advertisement When Ji published his findings in 2021, Qiaomei Fu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing - who worked on the very first Denisovan DNA from the Siberian finger bone - wanted to see if they shared any ancient molecules. Ji and Fu's team first attempted to extract ancient DNA from a part of the skull called the petrous bone in the inner ear - where DNA might survive after 146,000 years - and from an attached tooth. They didn't recover any genetic material. But what they did find was sequence fragments from 95 ancient proteins from the petrous samples. Advertisement One protein sequence from the Dragon Man fossil was identical to that of a protein from the Siberian finger bone, as well as Denisovan bones from Tibet and Taiwan, the experts reveal in two papers published in the journals and this week . This protein sequence differed from modern humans and Neanderthals - suggesting the man was likely a Denisovan. "After 15 years, we give the Denisovan a face," said Fu. "It's really a special feeling, I feel really happy." It is understood the new species will adopt the Homo longi name, like we humans are Homo sapiens. Advertisement 4 The massive size of the skull also suggests a very large body, which could have helped it survive brutal winters in northeastern China Credit: Chuang Zhao 4 It is understood the new species will adopt the Homo longi name, like we humans are Homo sapiens Credit: John Bavaro Fine Art / Science Photo Library
