Home / Science / Face of Ancient Hominin Found: "Dragon Man" Skull Links to Denisovans
Face of Ancient Hominin Found: "Dragon Man" Skull Links to Denisovans
28 Dec
Summary
- The "Dragon Man" skull, 146,000 years old, has been linked to enigmatic Denisovans.
- DNA from dental calculus and protein fragments confirm the Denisovan link.
- This discovery may lead to renaming other Denisovan fossils as Homo longi.
In 2025, a significant breakthrough occurred in understanding human evolution with the identification of the "Dragon Man" skull, found in China. This 146,000-year-old fossil has now been linked to the mysterious Denisovans, an ancient human population previously known only through DNA. The discovery provides the first physical representation of this enigmatic group.
Genetic material, including mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus and protein fragments from bone samples, was successfully extracted from the "Dragon Man" skull. These analyses, published in June 2025, strongly suggest the skull belongs to the Denisovan lineage, potentially leading to the official scientific name Homo longi for this group and other related fossils.
This pivotal discovery opens new avenues for research, enabling paleoanthropologists to more easily identify other Denisovan remains. Further genetic analysis from a 200,000-year-old Denisovan tooth is expected in 2026, promising deeper insights into their history, interbreeding with other hominins, and the emergence of species like Homo sapiens.
