New discoveries – the Denisovans

Abstract

Denisovanci su grupa hominina srodna neandertalcima te njihova taksonomska kategorija nije službeno određena. Bili su rasprostranjeni od Sibira do jugoistočne Azije prije otprilike 300 000 godina pa sve do prije 50 000 godina kada su izumrli. Fosilni ostatci ove grupe pronađeni su na dva lokaliteta: u špilji Denisova i špilji Baishiya Karst. Pronađeni su fragmenti skeleta 5 denisovanaca te izravnog potomka denisovanca i neandertalca, a pronađeni artefakti ukazuju na dobro poznavanje obrade kamena. Analizama mitohondrijske i nuklearne DNA utvrđen je njihov odnos s drugim homininima, točnije neandertalcima i modernim ljudima. Srodniji su neandertalcima nego modernim ljudima, ali se smatra da su dovoljno različiti od neandertalaca da bi ih se moglo proglasiti zasebnom vrstom. Analiza genoma nekih današnjih populacija pokazala je prisutnost određene količine denisovanskog porijekla.Denisovans are a group of hominins related to Neanderthals and their taxonomic category is not officially determined. They were spread from Siberia to Southeast Asia since approximately 300 000 years ago until 50 000 years ago when they became extinct. Fossil remains from this group have been found in two locations: Denisova cave and Baishiya Karst cave. Skeletal fragments of 5 Denisovans, and of Denisovan and Neanderthal offspring were found, and the found artifact indicated a good knowledge of stone processing. Analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA established their relation to other hominin groups, specifically to Neanderthals and modern humans. They are more related to Neanderthals than to modern humans but it is considered that they are different enough to be declared a separate species. By analyzing genome of some modern populations, it was proven that certain parts of those genome are of Denisovan origin