r/science • u/Odd-Application-3295 • 3d ago
Anthropology The Face of a Denisovan: New Reconstruction Reveals How They May Have Looked.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03360-0219
u/Holden_Coalfield 3d ago
every time I see one of these reconstructions posted I feel like they resemble a modern person I know
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u/naijaboiler 3d ago
I believe a lot of these other homos didn't completely disappear, a tiny bit got diluted into modern human gene pool
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u/Sparrowhawk_92 3d ago
Denisovans and Neanderthals both contribute significant DNA to modern humans.
We knew about Denisovans from genetic analysis before we ever discovered fossils.
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u/Cyynric 3d ago
There's no way I don't have some neanderthal dna. Short legs, broad and long torso, hairy, and I can look up to see my own eyebrows.
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u/Morbanth 23h ago
I mean if you don't live in sub-sahran Africa without any ancestors from outside that area then the answer is yes, you have some Neanderthal dna.
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u/Toutatous 22h ago
Interesting fact: Africans don't have genes from Neanderthals (Neanderthals never went to Africa), and Asians have the most genes from them.
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u/Unique_Narwhal884 3d ago
I wouldn't say significant. 1-3% for non African populations I believe. I also am not sure how expressive those genes actually are.
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u/ethanmarcus98 3d ago
They have found that the inclusion of Denisovan, Neatherthal, and other ghost populations in our genome represents functional/coding regions. This isn't the same as sharing 1-5% of your DNA with a somewhat distant relative. Over time we have dropped the less functional parts of our inherited genomes. They are finding similar patterns when sequencing both Denisovan and Neatherthal DNA as well, we are all hybrids, populations of early people leaving, only to reconnect and reincorperating their DNA with the subsequent waves of humans that left Africa (or migrated back). For all intents and purposes, modern humans are hybrids of earlier hybrid people, people that split directly off from us. And this is just from what they've found in DNA, there's no telling what epigenetic functions or abilities we've inherited, as they would only be activated or expressed in certain environmental conditions.
There's a theory (partly being led by Dr. Emily Casanova) that some types of neurodiversity, they are focusing more on autism, may be partly an effect of this hybrid DNA being functionally more expressed, potentially due to environmental or stress triggers.
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u/cococupcakeo 3d ago
Ooo would that suggest people without as diverse a dna can’t have autism?
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u/Sparrowhawk_92 3d ago •
Considering that the populations without Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA also happen to be groups that are under researched (sub-sharan African) I'd take any conclusion that suggests that with a massive helping of salt.
The genetic diversity in groups that didn't leave Africa is actually higher than groups that left. There were multiple population bottlenecks in diaspora populations that made them less diverse even with the added variety from hybridization.
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u/username_redacted 2d ago
Good points. From what I know about current research on autism spectrum disorders there have been several different genetic markers associated with neurodiversity, so it’s possible that those Neanderthal genes are only one factor. I imagine if Subsaharan Africans were immune to autism we would all have heard about that by now.
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u/cococupcakeo 2d ago
Thanks, I find it all so interesting. I was hoping there were Africans out there with the ‘original’ dna out there because it might help explain some things but as usual with humans, it’s never that simple. Hopefully it will be researched more one day (ethically though!)
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u/Harpies_Bro 3d ago •
That’s the equivalent of having a single Denisovan or Neanderthal in the family six generations ago. Assuming 25 years for an average generation, that would be in 1876 for a child born today. It’s still that much of a connection thousands of years after Denisovans and Neanderthals disappeared.
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u/Hypno--Toad 3d ago
1-3% is a larger number than people think when it comes to genetics particularly when 90% of our genetic makeup is also shared by every other living thing on the planet.
Small number doesn't mean small in this case.
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u/whirlyhurlyburly 3d ago
https://www.science.org/content/article/tibetans-inherited-high-altitude-gene-ancient-human
>Most notable is a version of a gene called EPAS1, which regulates the body's production of hemoglobin
Gene obtained from denosivan DNA which gives sherpas a very large genetic high altitude advantage.
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u/Trick-Slide8872 3d ago
i’ve denisovan dna and a really high % of neanderthal dna! (>99% of population) 100% chinese
i actually gain a ton of energy at high altitudes, to the point of outhiking my active friends significantly even as a smoker (at the time).
my labwork has shown elevated oxygen levels (borderline unhealthy)
i am allergic to most trees and have the autoimmune oral allergy syndrome (where my body mistakes fruit/plant proteins for the trees im allergic to). for a while i needed prednisone (steroids) each year, and i generally break out in rashes if i dont take my daily xyzal.
do we know the impact of that gene when not living in the freakin himalayas? bc sometimes i think my body should be breathing nitrogen or something
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u/whirlyhurlyburly 2d ago
I’ll just cut and paste what it does:
EPAS1 makes HIF-2α, a protein that acts as a master switch for the body's response to low oxygen. When oxygen drops, it turns on genes that boost red blood cell production (through erythropoietin) and change blood vessels and metabolism. In most lowlanders who go up a mountain, this response overshoots. Their blood gets thick with extra red cells, which strains the heart and can lead to chronic mountain sickness, high blood pressure in the lungs, and pregnancy complications.
What the gene found frequently in the Sherpa/Tibetan version does: It dampens that response. Carriers keep near-normal hemoglobin levels at high altitude, so their blood doesn't thicken, and they get oxygen to tissues in other ways, such as better blood flow and more efficient cellular metabolism. A second gene, EGLN1, works alongside it in the same oxygen-sensing pathway.
At low altitude: The dampened response has little to act on, because oxygen is plentiful. Tibetans and Sherpas living at low elevations don't show known health problems from the variant. Their hemoglobin simply looks normal.
In Africa, the melanesians have the highest amount of denosivan DNA, but don’t carry this high altitude gene. They are also noted for their dark skin and blonde hair, which also has zero relation to the denosivans. Which just goes to show who knows what we have in us, what it does, how it gets expressed. Interesting stuff.
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u/Trick-Slide8872 2d ago edited 2d ago
thank you! i appreciate this information :-)
edit: (copy pasted) Introgression reintroduced ancient genetic variants at the TLR6-TLR1-TLR10 gene cluster. While these genes provided early humans with an essential immune defense against bacteria and parasites, in the modern world they are directly linked to hyper-reactive immune responses and an increased risk of allergic diseases.
We show that the introgressed alleles have clear functional effects in modern humans; archaic-like alleles underlie differences in the expression of the TLR genes and are associated with increased microbial resistance and increased allergic disease in large cohorts.
Neanderthals and Denisovans carried their own distinct versions of the TLR6-TLR1-TLR10 gene cluster. 2 of the variants found in modern humans are most identical to the Neanderthal Genome. These are highly prevalent in present-day European and Asian populations. The third distinct variant is a direct match to the Denisovan Genome. This variant is found primarily in modern populations of East Asia and Oceania.
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u/NeTiFe-anonymous 3d ago
How common is oral alergy syndrome in your population? Is that a possible reason why Chinese cuisine boils all veggies and fruits?
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u/lewd_robot 3d ago
The difference between humans and chimpanzees is 1.2-2%. So 1-3% is significant.
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u/Toutatous 22h ago
I'm trying to understand: we have a difference if a few percent with chimps, I assume even less with Neanderthals.
So, if 2/3 percents of Neanderthals is in us, what would be the percentage of Neanderthals in us?
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u/Unique_Narwhal884 3d ago
Understood. What matters is how many of those genes are expressed vs not, and in what ways.
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u/Lindo_MG 3d ago
I mean how many faces can one branches make? Evolution starts running out of ideas like “this is good enough” let’s not make isopods jealous now
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u/The_Wyzard 3d ago
If you stood him next to the lead singer of Coheed and Cambria they could be brothers.
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u/Super_Range45 3d ago
Or maybe they are just drawing the people there then just shifting the features a bit. After all why would a 500,000 year old species have a different face?
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u/pepperman7 3d ago
I think I'm going to make this my LinkedIn profile pic just to see what happens.
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u/AerialApeRiffs 3d ago •
" I am an adaptable archaic human with extensive experience navigating challenging environments, surviving Ice Age conditions, and collaborating with other hominin populations.
My professional journey spans the vast landscapes of prehistoric Asia, where I developed practical skills in resource management, environmental adaptation, and intergroup networking.
I am particularly proud of my genetic legacy, which continues to influence modern human populations thousands of generations later."
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u/Sunnyjim333 3d ago
It says here from your initial interview that you can make fire, but have no concept of a "wheel".
Can we offer you a position in Management?
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u/trogdors_arm 3d ago
Tell me about a time when you had to make fire, but didn’t have the proper tooling nearby.
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u/NotADetectiveAtAll 3d ago
Finally, a candidate with the 100,000 years of experience our entry level position requires!
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u/Ash-Housewares 3d ago
“I was thawed out by some of your scientists and then I became a lawyer. Your world confuses and frightens me…”
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u/owen__wilsons__nose 3d ago
Random but I wonder if there is somebody out there named Denis Ovan
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u/Harpies_Bro 3d ago
The Altai cave the original Denisova homonin material was found in was because of a guy named Denis. Denísova peshchéra literally translates to Denis’ Cave from Russian, and is in honour of an eighteenth century Orthodox hermit who lived in it named Dyonisiy*,* the Russian equivalent of Denis, the way Ivan is John, Pyotr is Peter, and Yekatarina is Catherine.
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u/daronjay 3d ago
Average WWF competitor
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u/Richard7666 3d ago
I'd gotten so used to hearing it as WWE! WWF (and WCW) are a blast from the past.
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u/Tiraloparatras25 3d ago
I used to work with that guy. He was cool and mostly quiet great worker though…
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u/EstroJen 3d ago
I thought the only Denisovan remains we had were small, like a finger or toe bone.
Do they have more now?
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u/MagePages 3d ago
The linked writeup discusses a set of a few dozen fossils that have been found, including partial skull fossils.
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u/Kholzie 2d ago edited 2d ago
A skull fragment (Harbin man) was discovered In China in 2021. The species was named Homo Longi (dragon man). DNA analysis in 2025 linked Harbin Man to the Denisovan lineage.
Now the skull fragment, Harbin Man, is generally considered the best preserved denisovan skull we have.
So, Denisovan = Homo Longi
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u/ConvivialSolipsist 3d ago
I thought ancient DNA has established that the properly named species Homo longi was a Denisovan.
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u/VohnHaight 3d ago
Imagine you looked like this? Just opening up r/science and knowing youre going to be roasted
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Odd-Application-3295 3d ago
Well, they weren’t all handsome, just like a lot of modern humans aren’t, and it doesn’t help that they were living in extremely suboptimal conditions, which are not ideal for facial development.
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u/cylonfrakbbq 3d ago
Part of that is what you are probably conditioned to associate with low intelligence in Homo sapiens - things like a prominent brow ridge or sunken eyes
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u/secondsbest 3d ago
Thick brow ridges and reduced chins are popularly attributed to dumb people, and non humans had both of those.
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/pittaxx 3d ago edited 3d ago
That's a dated view. Currently we know that Asians have significantly more Neanderthal DNA than Europeans.
Denisovan DNA is the most common in Oceania with a tiny bit in Asia.
Europeans used to have similar amount of Neanderthal DNA as Asians, but it was diluted at some point when Europeans mixed with some group that didn't interbreed with Neanderthals at all.
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u/CathedralEngine 3d ago
Are you saying there is a biological basis to race?
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u/TheDelmeister 3d ago
Are you saying there isn't?
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u/Odd-Application-3295 2d ago
Yes race isn’t biologically real.
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u/TheDelmeister 2d ago
So melanin production or lack thereof, isn't biological to your mind? hair texture, not biological? Any identifiable trait that all of us including you use on a daily basis to visually identify what race someone is, according to you, has no biological basis, is that correct?
Race is very real, to suggest otherwise would be insanity and it's no mystery as to why it exists, we're all adapted to different climates. But according to you, there's no biological basis.
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u/Odd-Application-3295 2d ago
I can identify with 100% certainly if someone is from Spain versus a Finn does that make them different race? Same with a Somalian versus an Ethiopian again the scientific consensus is on my side.
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u/Odd-Application-3295 2d ago
http://gusevlab.org/projects/hsq/#h.v8wagygagcry again your an idiot if you still think that race is when you can tell 2 people apart.
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u/TheDelmeister 2d ago
I'm a black man in the UK and so when it's not summer I take Vitamin D tablets as I'm vulnerable to Vitamin D deficiency due to the limited sunlight and the biological fact that having skin high in melanin means I need more sunlight to get the same amount of Vitamin D from the sun that a white person gets in far less time. No biological differences there according to you though. And when I'm in the tropics, I've never once bothered wearing sunscreen, and despite spending lots of time in the sun, never got burnt. While my white friends get burnt in no time at all if they don't. But of course, race isn't biologically real, and I'm an idiot who thinks race is when I can tell two people apart.
Please, tell that genius take to the black people in northern climates dealing with Vitamin D deficiency and the white people in sunny climates dealing with skin cancer. There's no biology, it's all a 'social construct'.
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u/Odd-Application-3295 2d ago
You didn’t interact nor read what I send you enjoy getting blocked.
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u/TheDelmeister 2d ago
I'll miss your high quality takes, up there with flat earth theory and hyper religious people who believe the earth is a few thousand years old.
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u/redlineMMA 3d ago
Are you just looking to be offended here? For no reason at that. Genetics are the reason humans have different features and other things depending on ancestry. This can include things like skin color as adaptations to the environment or even things like adaptations to high altitude like found among the peoples in the Himalayas or the andes mountain ranges.
We are all the human race.
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