In 2010 the fingerbone of a woman dating back at least 40,000 years was discovered in a cave in southwestern Siberia, near the Chinese and Mongolian borders. The woman has been determined to be a member of a hitherto unknown hominin species dubbed the “Denisovans” after the Russian hermit who lived in the cave in the 18th century.
I’ve been something between amazed and amused to hear a vast amount of human variation, from why Tibetans are able to live at high altitudes to why Inuits are able to live at low latitudes, to Denisovan DNA.
I think it’s a fad. My guess is that after the novelty has worn off and more science is done scientific opinion will settle down to find that Denisovan DNA is present in modern humans but not quite as influential as some are claiming.
Today’s claims are a lot to deduce from a no-longer-existent fingerbone and a molar that are tens of thousands of years old.
