Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Where were Denisovan fossils and DNA first discovered?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Homo sapiens
Human beings (Homo sapiens) are anatomically similar and related to the great apes but are distinguished by a more highly developed brain and a resultant capacity for articulate speech and abstract reasoning.
Denisovan fossils and DNA were first discovered at Denisova Cave (also known as Aju-Tasch), located in the Altai Mountains of Siberia, Russia.12
The initial evidence consisted of a finger bone found in 2008, from which scientists successfully sequenced mitochondrial DNA in 2010. Additionally, a tooth excavated from the same cave in 2000 was later identified as belonging to a Denisovan individual. These findings revealed that the Denisovans were a distinct group of archaic humans who were genetically separate from both Neanderthals and modern humans.12