Australian scientists, Germany and Russia analyzed the ancient DNA from the deposits of the Denis Cave in Siberia. This made it possible to reveal the secret of the appearance in the region over the last 300 thousand years of various types of Homo genus, including Denisovsky, Neanderthal and the first homo sapiens. This is reported in an article published in the journal Nature.
Denisova Cave in the south of Siberia is known as the habitat of Denisovtsev – the archaic group of hominines (the subfamily of hominids), relatives Neanderthal. The remains of the ancient people found in the cave also include the bones of Neanderthals and descendants from the union Neanderthal and Denisovsky. Nakhodka allowed researchers to assume that the cave served as a contact area between two groups of archaic people. However, there is uncertainty in what order at this place various types of people appeared, because few fossils were preserved.
Researchers analyzed DNA from 728 samples of the sediments of the Pleistocene era. In 685 samples, scientists found traces of the genetic material of prehistoric fauna (bears, wolves and cave hyenis), and in 175 samples – DNA Mitochondria Homininov. The earliest testimonies of the presence of mitochondrial DNA (MTDNA) of archaic people belong to Denisovtsy and are associated with the stone weapons of the early middle Paleolithic from 250 to 170 thousand years ago. MTDNA Neanderthals for the first time appears only by the end of this period, 200 thousand years ago.
Scientists also found evidence that Deniceovtsy and Neanderthal repeatedly settled this place. In particular, MTDNA Denisovtsev unexpectedly changes, which coincides with changes in the composition of the mitochondrial DNA of the local fauna. This may be due to the fact that people had to change the parking place due to the change of climate. This happened 190 thousand years ago, which coincides with the transition from relatively warm to cold environmental conditions, and 130-100 thousand years ago, when the climate has twisted again. During this period, the population of animals changed again, Denisovsky disappeared, and Neanderthals remained the sole cave inhabitants.
about 45 thousand years ago, MTDNA modern man is first revealed in the cave sediments. This confirms the former hypothesis about the appearance of Homo Sapiens, since the sediments found artifacts made from bones and teeth of animals, Mammoth, egg shell, marble and precious stones. Homo Sapiens brought with them to the region new technologies for processing natural materials, but the remains themselves have not yet been found.