Homepage

The Other Humans Denisovan and Neanderthal fossils reveal ancient hominins that thrived across Asia and Europe, shaping human evolution

By Justin Jin

In a twist of archaeological fortune, two remote caves in unpopulated parts of Asia have rewritten our understanding of human evolution. The discovery of Denisovan remains – an ancient human species that inhabited Asia from at least 200,000 to 32,000 years ago – has stunned the scientific world.

First identified in 2010 from a tiny finger bone found in Siberia, Denisovans were master adapters who left traces of their DNA in present-day Asian populations, suggesting they once lived across much of the continent. Most intriguingly, they passed on genes that help modern Tibetans survive at high altitudes – a legacy of their extraordinary adaptation to life on the roof of the world.

An overview of Northern Laos’ Pa Hang Mountain (foreground, lit by the sun), where ground-breaking archeological evidence is being found.

My quest to document this groundbreaking story for National Geographic Magazine led me from witnessing Fabrice Demeter's meticulous work in Laos, where his team unearthed a child's tooth in the limestone Cobra Cave. The humid tropical environment had erased all traces of DNA, but Demeter's team used innovative protein analysis to confirm this 4-6 year old girl was Denisovan. Their discovery placed these ancient humans in Southeast Asia for the first time, proving they could thrive in warm, low-altitude environments.

To gain access to these closely guarded specimens, I criss-crossed research centers in China and Europe, where scientists work on discoveries that fundamentally transform our view of human origins. Their findings reveal an extraordinary tale of adaptation: our enigmatic ancestors developed the flexibility to thrive in both steamy jungles and frigid highlands, surviving alongside early modern humans and even interbreeding with them. Today, their genetic legacy lives on in many Asian populations.

Paleontologist Fabrice Demeter collects soil sample for environmental DNA analysis at Northern Laos’ Tam Sot Cave. The sample can give hints to the fauna and floral within the cave in the past, as well as geological and climatic conditions. Tam Sot is situated on the side of the Pa Hang Mountain, part of the Annamite Range that extends through Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Caver Eric Suzonni passes a bone specimen to paleontologist Laura Shackelford, who works in the team led by Fabrice Demeter. In this and nearby caves they have found much evidence that Homo Sapiens did not live alone.
Children dressed in traditional costumes to celebrate the Hmong new year in the Laos village of Long Gua Pa take in a session of fossil washing by the team led by Palaontologist Fabrice Demeter. Paleontologist Anne-Marie Bacon uses the book "A Guide to Large Mammals of Thailand" to explain the finds in the caves on Pa Hang Mountain.
This homo Sapiens skull (left) found in Tam Pa Ling Cave by Demeter’s team in 2010 is at least 46,000 years old, suggesting the theory of migration and evolution was much more complex than originally thought. Paleontologist Fabrice Demeter probes a molar tooth (right) his team found in the Cobra Cave in Laos. The tooth is verified to be from the elusive Denisovan population, ancestors that roamed Asia.
Associate Professor Frido Welker (Left), working with paleontologist Fabrice Demeter (right). collects samples from a homo Erectus tooth for analysis in Copenhagen. The tooth was found by Demeter's team in Laos in the same cave as they found the Denisovan tooth, suggesting the theory of migration and evolution was much more complex than originally thought.

Thousands of kilometers away, in the thin air of the Tibetan plateau, I abseiled into the sacred Baishiya Cave where a Buddhist monk's chance discovery of a jawbone revealed how our ancient cousins had conquered Earth's highest plateau over 160,000 years ago. Here, archaeologist Zhang Dongju and her team made another remarkable finding: a rib bone fragment dating between 48,000 and 32,000 years ago – the youngest Denisovan fossil ever found. The cave yielded thousands of animal bones bearing cut marks, showing these ancient people were skilled hunters who could process everything from massive woolly rhinos to nimble blue sheep.

A Buddhist monk prays in Baishiya Karst Cave, where monks have been making pilgrimage for centuries. They were recently joined by scientists and researchers, after an archeologist at Lanzhou University decided to take a closer look at the origins of an ancient jaw discovered in the cave four decades ago.
.The Xia He mandible -- the scientific word for lower jawbone -- is the strongest evidence of the existence of a human ancestor population called the Denisovans. The mandible was found in the Baishiya Karst Cave on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau in China by a monk who was praying in the cave.
A Buddhist monk stands in Baishiya Karst Cave, where monks have been praying for centuries. There, a jaw discovered by a monk in the cave, on the Tibetan plateau in China, dated to 160,000 years ago, comes from the enigmatic human population known as the Denisovans.
The Maba cranium was found in 1958 near the village of Maba, Guangdong province, southern China, by a farmer. It is intermediate in form between Homo erectus and H. sapiens, and is considered a candidate as a Denisovan. The fossils consist of a skullcap and parts of the right upper face, including bones of the nose.
Paleontologist Ludovic Slimak shows tools made by Neanderthals and homo Sapiens inside a cave in the South of France.
Slimak compares a tool made by homo Sapiens (left) with one made by Neanderthal.

This international photography project for the National Geographic Magazine looks at how archeologists are mapping out humanity's hitherto unknown past.

International recognition for Justin includes awards by Picture of the Year International, Magnum Foundation and Hansel-Mieth, Germany's renowned journalism prize, where in 2021 he was awarded top prizes for both writing and photography. Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam hosted his major solo-exhibition.

Homepage