The discovery of the skull from Harbin, nicknamed "dragon man" (
Homo longi), was a real breakthrough in the study of one of the most mysterious branches of the human race - the Denisovans.
This almost completely preserved hominin skull, which is at least 146,000 years old, has allowed paleoanthropologists to look into the past and for the first time get an idea of the appearance of the Denisovans, whose fossil remains have so far been extremely scarce and fragmentary.
For a long time, the Denisovans were known mainly from a genetic trail in the DNA of modern populations in East Asia and Oceania, and their physical appearance remained a matter of speculation. Now, thanks to pioneering research, the veil of mystery has been lifted.
Identity breakthrough: proteins and DNA reveal the truth
A team of scientists led by Qiaomiei Fu from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Qiang Ji from Hebei GEO University conducted a comprehensive analysis of the skull from Harbin using advanced paleoproteomics and ancient DNA analysis techniques. This allowed them not only to confirm the Denisov origin of the skull, but also to greatly expand our knowledge of the habitat of these ancient people.
A key aspect of the study was to develop a unique method for automatically identifying human populations using ancient proteins.
The scientists created the most informative ancient human proteome to date, which allowed them to identify more than 308 thousand peptide spectra, 20 thousand peptides and confirm 95 endogenous skull proteins from Harbin.
This is an unprecedented amount of data, far surpassing all previous studies based on ancient fossils. The discovery of 122 single-amino-acid polymorphisms (SAPs) unique to the hominid family confirmed that the man from Harbin belonged to the genus Homo.
Photo: nplus1.ru
Of particular importance was the identification of three variants unique to Denisovans, which unambiguously established a phylogenetic link between the "dragon man" and Denisovan #3 - one of the first found representatives of this lineage.
In parallel to analyzing proteins, the team focused on extracting and analyzing ancient DNA from skull dentition. Despite the difficulties associated with DNA degradation over millennia, the scientists were able to optimize extraction methods and create bioinformatics tools that allow
trace the evolution of ancient human DNA.
For the first time in history, they were able to successfully extract mitochondrial DNA from the skull of a man from Harbin. The results of this analysis confirmed that the "dragon man" belongs to the early Denisovian mitochondrial DNA lineage.
This not only resolved a long-standing dispute over the classification of the skull from Harbin, but also allowed us to directly link the nearly complete skull to the Denisovan population, something that had been impossible since the first genetic identification of Denisovans in 2010.
Expansion of the Denisovan map and new horizons
The discovery of a skull from Harbin and its identification as a Denisovian dramatically change the idea of the geographic distribution of this hominin group. Until then, the fossil remains of Denisovans were extremely limited, mainly represented by fragments of bones and teeth found mainly in the Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains.
Now, with the discovery of the skull in Northeast China, it is clear that the range of the Denisovans was much broader, extending from Siberia to East Asia in the late Middle Pleistocene.
The morphological features of the skull from Harbin, which was previously proposed as a new species of Homo longi (deriving its name from the Chinese word for "dragon," which refers to a river in the region), show considerable similarity to the few Denisovian remains found elsewhere.
Photo: nplus1.ru
This indicates that, despite their wide geographic distribution, the Denisovans had certain common anatomical features. Perhaps further studies of the skull from Harbin will reveal new unique characteristics that will help to define more precisely the morphology of the Denisovans and their place on the human evolutionary tree.
This study also emphasizes the enormous potential of dental calculus as a source of ancient DNA. Tartar formed on teeth can preserve microscopic fragments of DNA for tens or even hundreds of thousands of years, opening up new possibilities for genetic studies of Middle Pleistocene hominins. This approach will enable deeper and larger-scale genetic analyses, even in the absence of well-preserved bone remains.
Impact on paleoanthropology and future discoveries
The results of the skull from Harbin not only resolved the dispute over its classification and revealed the relatively complete morphology of the Denisovan skull, but also provided important reference data for the identification of other ancient human fossils in East Asia.
For example, finds such as fossils from Dali and Jinniushan, previously controversial as to their identity, can now be reanalyzed with new data on Denisovian proteins and DNA. This opens the way to potential new discoveries and reinterpretation of already known materials.
Photo: techcult.ru
Further studies of the skull from Harbin, as well as new finds that can be identified as Denisovian thanks to developed methods, will certainly deepen the understanding of this enigmatic population. Perhaps in the future it will be possible to reconstruct a more complete picture of their life, culture, technology and interactions with other ancient humans such as
Neanderthals and
Homo sapiens.
The discovery of "dragon man" is not just a sensational find, it is a powerful impetus for the entire paleoanthropological community, opening new horizons in the study of the ancient past of mankind.