Denisovans, Neanderthals, and ‘modern’ humans—all one human family
Researchers have found evidence that the ‘mysterious’ Denisovans (identified on the basis of DNA from a few fossil fragments) used stone tools such as scrapers at Denisova Cave in Siberia. These tools are typically used in the processing of animal skins. They also found the remains of three Denisovans together with a Neanderthal in the same rock layer as the tools. In addition, the scientists discovered butchered and burned animal remains suggesting that Denisovans hunted and cooked large game. These remains included deer, gazelles, horses, bison, and woolly rhinoceroses.
This is a confirmation of earlier research that shows that Denisovans are just a people group that inhabited continental Asia, southeast Asia, and Oceania. The DNA evidence from the initial find showed that Denisovans interbred with ‘modern humans’. It has long been known from DNA that Neanderthals did so, too. And DNA from a Neanderthal-Denisovan offspring has been found, confirming that all three groups interbred together. This means that they are all part of the larger human family and are post-Flood descendants of Noah.
- Choi, C., Oldest remains of mysterious, extinct human ancestors unearthed in Siberian cave, LiveScience.com, 30 Nov 2021.
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