A child's tooth from 130,000 years ago could help scientists uncover more information about an early human cousin, according to a new study.
The discovery shows that Denisovans lived in the warm tropics of southeast Asia.
The Denisovans are a cousin of Neanderthals.
Denisovans are a sister species to Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, but less is known about them, including what they might have looked like. A finger bone found in the Denisova cave in Siberia was analysed to reveal their existence. This showed that the fossil was from a new species that split from our own ancestors about 700,000 years ago. The Denisovans and Neanderthals went their separate ways after this split. There is evidence of interbreeding between the two extinct species. About 3% to 5% of the Melanesians' and Aboriginal Australians' DNA appears to be from Denisovans. The genetic comparisons suggest that Denisovans were once widespread. To get a better picture of what our ancient cousins looked like and how they lived, a crucial piece of the puzzle has been trying to match up DNA evidence with more complete fossils found at other sites.Quick GuideShow
The finger bone of a girl belonging to a previously unidentified group of humans was found in a cave in 2010 by scientists.
They used a finger and a wisdom tooth to extract the entire genome of the group.
A jawbone was found on the Tibetan Plateau, proving that part of the species lived in China as well.
The Denisovans left little trace before disappearing, except for the genes of human DNA today.
Denisovan remnants can be found in current populations in southeast Asia and Oceania.
Up to five percent of the ancient species are found in the people of Australia and New Zealand.
Clement Zanolli, a paleoanthropologist and co-author of the study, said that modern ancestors were mixed with Denisovans in southeast Asia.
The researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research said there was no proof of their presence in this part of the Asian continent.
The group of scientists began searching in the Cobra Cave.
The remains of ancient humans have already been found in the area, which was discovered by Cave specialists in a mountain.
Zanolli explained that the tooth appeared to be human shaped.
The tooth belonged to a child between 3.5 and 8.5 years old, according to the study.
The tooth is too old for carbon-dating and the DNA has been badly preserved because of the heat and humidity.
Scientists think it was most likely a Denisovan who lived between 164,000 to 131,000 years ago.
They used different methods to study the tooth's interior.
The discovery of a jawbone sheds light on ancient Denisovans.
The internal structure of the tooth was similar to that found in the Tibetan Denisova specimen. It was very similar to modern humans and other ancient species that lived in Indonesia and the Philippines.
The tooth is temporarily based at the University of Copenhagen, where Demeter is a researcher.
Neanderthals and Denisovans were both related to the tooth's structure. About 350,000 years ago, the two species are thought to have diverged.
According to Zanolli, the researchers concluded it was a Denisova specimen because no Neanderthal traces have been found so far east.
The discovery shows that Denisovans were able to adapt to a wide range of environments, from cold altitudes to tropical climates, compared to their Neanderthal cousins.
The Denisovans could have met and interbred with modern humans who had their genetic heritage passed on to them.
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