Denisova hominins, or Denisovans, are Paleolithic-era members of the genus Homo that may belong to a previously unknown species of human. In March 2010, scientists announced the discovery of a finger bone fragment of a juvenile female that lived about 41,000 years ago, found in the remote Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains in Siberia. A tooth and toe bone belonging to different members of the same population have since been found.
Analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the finger bone suggests this group shares a common origin with Neanderthals. Scientists in August 2012, have constructed the entire genetic makeup of the adolescent girl. The Denisovans ranged from Siberia to Southeast Asia, and they lived among and interbred with the ancestors of some present-day modern humans.
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