In “The vast Asian realm of the lost humans” ( New Scientist, 29 September 2011) Michael Marshall tells us,
The Denisovans, mysterious cousins of the Neanderthals, occupied a vast realm stretching from the chill expanse of Siberia to the steamy tropical forests of Indonesia – suggesting the third human of the Pleistocene displayed a level of adaptability previously thought to be unique to modern humans.
Maybe they were modern humans.
Before they disappeared, the Denisovans found time to interbreed with Homo sapiens. As a result, 5 per cent of the Denisovan genome lives on – not in the inhabitants of Siberia but in Papua New Guineans, living thousands of kilometres to the south-east
Doesn’t that pretty much settle the matter?
Some dirt, so to speak, on the fossil Denisovans.
By the way: Beware of people who preach that common sense is a bad thing. Usually, they are promoting nonsense in its place.
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