A massive skull nicknamed Dragon Man has finally given scientists a recognizable profile of the elusive Denisovans. The over 146,000-year-old Harbin cranium, discovered in China, contains thick brow ridges, a roomy braincase, and cheeks that blend Neanderthal ruggedness with modern delicacy.
Molecular sleuthing led by evolutionary geneticist Qiaomei Fu has connected the skull to Denisovans, allowing scientists to ask new questions about their lives. The team scraped tooth tartar and recovered mitochondrial DNA, confirming the specimen as Denisovan. They also extracted 95 ancient proteins, three of which match Denisovan-specific variants, providing a unique molecular fingerprint.
The discovery settles a debate sparked in 2021 when the same skull was proposed as a new species. Molecular data now show that Dragon Man sits comfortably within Denisovan diversity, trimming the family tree rather than adding another branch. The DNA timeline places the Harbin individual in an early Denisovan wave that occupied northeastern Asia between 217,000 and 106,000 years ago.
The study reveals that ancient DNA often hides inside dense ear bones, but Chinese collectors removed those sections decades ago. Fu gambled on dental calculus, a rock-hard film that entombs oral microbes, to win big. The success hints that thousands of museum teeth could preserve similar genetic time capsules waiting for modern clean-room techniques to unlock them.
The findings suggest that Denisovan fossils were vanishingly rare due to their high caloric demand and cold adaptations. They may have needed more than 4,000 calories a day, leading groups to patrol large territories and shape their behavior. Modern people still carry pieces of Denisovan code in their genomes, influencing immunity, fat metabolism, and responses to viral infection.
The discovery also opens up new avenues for research, including building three-dimensional digital models that blend Dragon Man measurements with genetic findings. Researchers are now probing the skull’s inner ear bone for nuclear DNA and scanning museum drawers for overlooked Denisovan teeth. The study provides a fresh perspective on human evolution and gene flow, revealing a messier but richer human story where several kinds of people shared ideas, pathogens, and offspring across Asia.
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-confirm-species-identity-of-the-dragon-man-fossil-skull-denisovan