For the past 40,000 years, Homo sapiens have been the only human species on Earth. Our ancestors, including the Neanderthals ...

Researchers at La Trobe University, Australia, and the University of Utah, U.S., report that recent DNA findings challenge ...

The latest findings involve genes from Denisovans, a recently discovered member of the Homo genus who lived in central and eastern Asia until 40,000 years ago. Skip to main content.

Very little is known about the Denisovans.The first evidence of them was discovered in Denisova Cave in Siberia in 2008, and DNA from their fossils suggests they shared an origin with Neanderthals ...

The mysterious ancient humans were only known from fossil fragments. Now, two papers argue a skull uncovered in China belongs to this group, after examining preserved DNA and proteins ...

What the researchers wanted to do is find a gene where both Neanderthals and Denisovans had one version and nearly all modern humans had another. Out of tens of thousands of genes, they found only ...

Denisovan genes may have given modern humans some advantages. The Denisovans lived harsh environments, from the cold, frozen steppes of Siberia to the high altitudes of Tibet.

DNA inherited from Neanderthals and Denisovans may have provided humans with protection against infectious diseases, including malaria, a study published in Neuron suggests. Researchers also found ...

And we know Denisovan genes reveal evidence of interbreeding with Neanderthals and an even more archaic hominin species. It’s the first human cousin species identified with more than fossil records.

Some Papua New Guineans Have Denisovan Genes, And It Might Protect Them From Malaria This genetic legacy could play an important role in how people living in the lowlands can survive. Dr. Russell Moul ...

As for what Denisovan genes do for people who have them, it’s hard to say. Unlike Neanderthal genes, which seem to have given human immune systems a boost , Denisovan gene function isn’t yet ...