Who Were the Denisovans, Ancestors of Modern Humans?
2024-07-12
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1Pieces of bones in a cave in the Tibetan highlands have given researchers new evidence of the mysterious human ancestors known as Denisovans.
2International researchers examined more than 2,500 bones found inside Baishiya Karst Cave.
3Most of the bones were from animals hunted by the Denisovans.
4The scientists studied proteins found in the bones to learn more about the Denisovans and the animals they depended on for food.
5Baishiya Karst Cave is at a high altitude, or height above sea level, of 3,280 meters in the Tibetan Plateau.
6The researchers discovered that the Denisovans hunted many different kinds of animals for food including sheep and a large, hairy animal called a woolly rhinoceros.
7The scientists published their findings this month in Nature.
8Most of the bones were identified as belonging to blue sheep that still live in the Himalayan Mountains.
9Other animals included the woolly rhinos, yaks, small mammals such as marmots, birds and the spotted hyena, a dog-like creature that lived in an area called the Ganjia Basin.
10In the cave containing animal bones, the researchers also discovered a rib bone from a Denisovan individual believed to be from 48,000 to 32,000 years old.
11That would make it the most recent Denisovan remains yet discovered.
12The researchers believe the Denisovans killed the animals for their meat.
13There was evidence found on the bones suggesting the cutting, or butchering, of meat and processing of animal skins.
14There was also evidence of animal bone tools.
15Frido Welker, a molecular anthropologist with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, was one of the leaders of the research.
16He said, "It is the first time we have gotten an understanding of the subsistence behaviors of Denisovans."
17Welker added that these human ancestors were able to use "a wide range of animal resources."
18Dongju Zhang, an archeologist with Lanzhou University in China was another study leader.
19He said, "I think the diverse animal remains found in Baishiya Karst Cave suggest that this location offered relatively better resources compared with the neighboring higher Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese Loess Plateau to the north..."
20Scientists did not publish evidence of Denisovans until 2010, when research identified a bone that came from Denisova Cave in Russia's Siberia area.
21Genetic examination showed that Denisovans were closely related to Neanderthals, other human ancestors who lived in Eurasia.
22Both groups are believed to have interacted a lot with Homo sapiens, or modern man, and are believed to have interbred with modern humans.
23Welker said, "From genetics, we know they diverged from Neanderthals around 400,000 years ago."
24Denisovans are known only from remains found in three places.
25They are Denisova Cave, Cobra Cave in Laos and Baishiya Karst Cave in Tibet.
26The wide separation suggests they lived in many different areas.
27Zhang said their presence in such a wide area "implies that Denisovans had high flexibility to adapt to different environments."
28Another bone found in Baishiya Karst Cave is a lower jaw bone of a young Denisovan.
29It is believed to be 160,000 years old.
30The researchers said they thought the human ancestors lived there as early as 200,000 years ago.
31But the piece of rib suggests their presence was more recent.
32"We don't know if the rib was from an adult or a child, nor its genetic sex," said Welker.
33He added it was the first time a Denisovan rib has ever been discovered.
34Scientists say Homo sapiens did not populate the Tibetan Plateau until about 40,000 years ago and first appeared in Africa a little more than 300,000 years ago.
35But what happened to the Denisovans seems to be a mystery.
36"We know so little," Welker noted, adding, "We know that Denisovans interbred with modern humans. We know that based on some Denisovan DNA that is present in the genomes of some modern humans living today."
37He then said, "But when, where and why Denisovans ultimately went extinct, that we don't know anything about."
38I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Pieces of bones in a cave in the Tibetan highlands have given researchers new evidence of the mysterious human ancestors known as Denisovans. 2International researchers examined more than 2,500 bones found inside Baishiya Karst Cave. Most of the bones were from animals hunted by the Denisovans. The scientists studied proteins found in the bones to learn more about the Denisovans and the animals they depended on for food. 3Baishiya Karst Cave is at a high altitude, or height above sea level, of 3,280 meters in the Tibetan Plateau. 4The researchers discovered that the Denisovans hunted many different kinds of animals for food including sheep and a large, hairy animal called a woolly rhinoceros. The scientists published their findings this month in Nature. 5Animal resources 6Most of the bones were identified as belonging to blue sheep that still live in the Himalayan Mountains. Other animals included the woolly rhinos, yaks, small mammals such as marmots, birds and the spotted hyena, a dog-like creature that lived in an area called the Ganjia Basin. 7In the cave containing animal bones, the researchers also discovered a rib bone from a Denisovan individual believed to be from 48,000 to 32,000 years old. That would make it the most recent Denisovan remains yet discovered. 8The researchers believe the Denisovans killed the animals for their meat. There was evidence found on the bones suggesting the cutting, or butchering, of meat and processing of animal skins. There was also evidence of animal bone tools. 9Frido Welker, a molecular anthropologist with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, was one of the leaders of the research. He said, "It is the first time we have gotten an understanding of the subsistence behaviors of Denisovans." Welker added that these human ancestors were able to use "a wide range of animal resources." 10Dongju Zhang, an archeologist with Lanzhou University in China was another study leader. He said, "I think the diverse animal remains found in Baishiya Karst Cave suggest that this location offered relatively better resources compared with the neighboring higher Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese Loess Plateau to the north..." 11The Denisovans 12Scientists did not publish evidence of Denisovans until 2010, when research identified a bone that came from Denisova Cave in Russia's Siberia area. Genetic examination showed that Denisovans were closely related to Neanderthals, other human ancestors who lived in Eurasia. Both groups are believed to have interacted a lot with Homo sapiens, or modern man, and are believed to have interbred with modern humans. 13Welker said, "From genetics, we know they diverged from Neanderthals around 400,000 years ago." 14Denisovans are known only from remains found in three places. They are Denisova Cave, Cobra Cave in Laos and Baishiya Karst Cave in Tibet. The wide separation suggests they lived in many different areas. 15Zhang said their presence in such a wide area "implies that Denisovans had high flexibility to adapt to different environments." 16Another bone found in Baishiya Karst Cave is a lower jaw bone of a young Denisovan. It is believed to be 160,000 years old. The researchers said they thought the human ancestors lived there as early as 200,000 years ago. But the piece of rib suggests their presence was more recent. 17"We don't know if the rib was from an adult or a child, nor its genetic sex," said Welker. He added it was the first time a Denisovan rib has ever been discovered. 18Scientists say Homo sapiens did not populate the Tibetan Plateau until about 40,000 years ago and first appeared in Africa a little more than 300,000 years ago. 19But what happened to the Denisovans seems to be a mystery. 20"We know so little," Welker noted, adding, "We know that Denisovans interbred with modern humans. We know that based on some Denisovan DNA that is present in the genomes of some modern humans living today." 21He then said, "But when, where and why Denisovans ultimately went extinct, that we don't know anything about." 22I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 23Will Dunham reported this story for Reuters. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24______________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26anthropologist -n. a scientist who studies human race, society and behavior 27subsistence -adj. related to the most basic needs for life such as food, shelter, protection and social structure 28diverse -adj. involving many different kinds of related or similar things 29interbreed -v. when two different species have mate and have babies 30imply -v. to suggest 31adapt -v. to change behavior to better meet the demands of new conditions 32genome -n. to whole group of genetic information of a living thing 33We want to hear from you. 34Our comment policy is here.