Ancient Dragon Man of China

The DNA of China’s ancient ‘Dragon Man’ puts a face to a mysterious group of ancient humans.

A skull was recovered from the bottom of a well in Northeastern China in 2018. It didn’t match any previously known species of prehistoric human. Scientists now say they have evidence where the fossil fits.

After several attempts, researchers finally extracted genetic material from the fossilized cranium, which had been nicknamed ‘Dragon Man’. It has now been linked to a group of early humans known as Denisovans. Several Denisovan fossilized bone fragments had already been found but offered little idea what these ancient hominins looked like. The group had never been assigned an official scientific name.

Skulls are usually considered the best type of remains to understand the appearance of extinct hominin species. This new finding could put a face to the Denisovans.

Denisovans were first discovered in 2010 from a fossilized pinkie found in Denisova Cave in Russia. Additional remains in the cave and elsewhere in Asia have added to the picture.

The new findings could fill in some gaps about the time when Homo sapiens weren’t the only humans on the planet. For tens of thousands of years, our species coexisted and interbred with both Denisovans and Neanderthals.

The Dragon Man skull was discovered in 1933 in northeastern China. A laborer was constructing a bridge when he discovered the skull. He took it home and stored it at the bottom of a well for safekeeping. The cranium remained hidden for decades until his relatives learned about it and donated it to the Hebei GEO University. Studies published in 2021 stated the skull was at least 146,000 years old.

Researchers argued over whether the fossil was of a new species. Some thought it might be Denisovan, and others lumped it in with a cache of hard-to-classify fossils found in China.

Based on the molecular evidence linking the skull to Denisovans, it will be easier for paleoanthropologists to classify other potential Denisovan remains. It also makes it more evident what Denisovans might have looked like: very strong brow ridges, brains about the same size at in Neanderthals and modern humans, with large teeth. They would have had a blocky and robust appearance.

If dressed in modern attire, they would be recognizable as ‘human’.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/dragon-man-dna-revelation-puts-a-face-to-a-mysterious-group-of-ancient-humans/ar-AA1GXZKS?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=44c63277a1b1486092eb1af40fb6912d&ei=90