Cell reconstructs a prehistoric face, thanks to DNA analysis of an unusual skull that proved to be the first-known skull of a Denisovan, the other prehistoric human besides Neanderthals:
A notable late Middle Pleistocene cranium has been recovered in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China and dated to a minimum age of 146 ka … This cranium has been classified as a new species, named Homo longi, based on its morphology. However, its morphology has been suggested to be related to the Xiahe mandible, which has been associated with Denisovans through proteomic analysis. No genetic information has been retrieved from the Harbin specimen, presumably due to its age. In fact, human DNA has only been sequenced from skeletal remains from four sites that are older than 100 ka: individuals dating to ∼400 ka from Sima de los Huesos; two Neanderthals dating to ∼120 ka from Hohlenstein-Stadel Cave in southwestern Germany and Scladina Cave in Belgium; bone fragments from Denisova Cave dating to 187–217, 190, and 123–194 ka….
The finding that the Harbin cranium contains Denisovan mtDNA connects Denisovans with morphological traits and will help to identify other specimens as Denisovans, especially when ancient DNA is not preserved or difficult to obtain. For example, fossils from Dali, Jinniushan, and Hualongdong exhibit morphological traits similar to those in the Harbin cranium, making it plausible that they also represent Denisovan populations.