World discovery: new species of ancient people found in Denisova cave

Date: 2011-07-05 18:32:15

The fact that in Siberia there lived a previously unknown type of people was reported by the researchers to “Nature” magazine. The scientists have made their conclusions based the full genome decoding preserved in two specimens of an ancient human’s tissue – the bone phalanx finger and a molar that had previously been found in the Denisova cave (Altaisky region). According to scientists, the new species is akin to people and Neanderthals lived about 50 thousand years ago, reports RIA "Novosti".

 Deputy Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography Michael Shunkov said that today in Soloneshenskoe village area of the Altai Territory, where the famous Denisova cave is located, begins a seven-day international symposium. It involves about 40 scientists in the field of paleolith natural sciences, paleogenetics, and paleoanthropology from Russia, Germany, Japan, China, USA, France, Czech Republic, and Croatia.

The main symposium topic is the detection of the "Denisov man" (as archaeologists call a new kind of an ancient man). "It will be a big debate. With this discovery a large range of different issues of ancient history is connected "- said Michael Shunkov. According to his words when there is the major discovery takes place leading scientists are always going to debate. "Someone, perhaps, would not agree with some aspects. That is why we need the discussion like this”. This is the normal scientific process ", - said the deputy director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, adding that an international symposium on this subject happens for the first time.

Siberian scientists expect that debate to contribute and recognize the detection of a previously unknown type of an ancient man by the world scientific community.

According to the authors’ article in the “Nature” magazine, a new species of ancient people is akin to the Neanderthals. According to their hypothesis, it is derived from an archaic type of a group of people who left Africa about 300-400 thousand years ago, which is then divided at least into two parts, one of which gave rise to the Neanderthals.

Previously, Michael Shunkov said that only one of now living peoples, the inhabitants of Melanesia, has got common genetic traits (4-6%) with the "Denisov man", while all other modern people, but the Africans, have got somewhere between 1% 4% of the genome of Neanderthals. The scientist noted that a new kind of ancient peoples have not yet received an official name.