Skull Discovered in 1933 Sheds Light on Ancient Human Species

Two new studies published in Science and Cell have shed light on a mysterious skull found in China, and in the process have provided insight into the lives of a previously little-known ancient human.

The “Dragon Man” skull was found in Harbin City, China, during an excavation in 1933. The skull, which was terrifically well-preserved, was kept by the discovering archaeologist because he feared authorities would confiscate the skull. In 2018, shortly before he died, the archaeologist donated the skull for analysis. The Dragon Man’s skull was much larger than modern humans, bearing an expanded brain volume as well as deep, prominent eyebrow ridges, a flat face, a wide nose, and no chin. Scientists estimated that the person lived roughly 146,000 years ago.

After studying molecules from a molar in the skull, Qiaomei Fu, a geneticist at Beijing’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, determined that it likely belonged to a Denisovan. Denisovans have long been a mystery to scientists, as they only had the pinkie bone of an adolescent, which was discovered in 2010 and rumor genes fitfully present in modern humans available to study. Though DNA has long shown that Denisovans were interbred with Neandertals and modern humans, with as much as five percent of their genetic composition existing in people from Melanesia and other Southeast Asian regions, this is the first Denisovan skull which has been discovered.

“After 15 years, we give the Denisovan a face,” Fu told National Geographic. “It’s really a special feeling, I feel really happy.” In their study published in Cell, the researchers added: "This is the first detailed morphological blueprint for Denisovan populations.”

The discovery redefines the history of human evolution in South Asia, with researchers now able to investigate how the Denisovans' contributions to ancient culture still reverberate in the modern day. "Having a well-preserved skull like this one allows us to compare the Denisovans to many more different specimens found in very different places,” Bence Viola, an archaeologist not involved with the study, told New Scientist. “We can finally think about their adaptations to climate, mobility, and even social behavior.”