For a very long time, homo sapiens were the only human species that were thought to have existed in the last tens of thousands of years. Recently we have witnessed the addition of two species, the Neandertals (latest research says that everyone apart from Africans have some Neandertal DNA), and the Hobbits (who we do not appear to have interbred with).

All of a sudden, we are presented with the possibility of many hominins existing at the same time. If we have determined three (the 3rd is below), how many more are there that we are yet to discover? Due to my belief that one form of evolution involves mutations via cosmic rays during global cataclysms, I expect that immediately after such a cataclysm there are many new species, and with time most die out. Given the rarity of fossils, most new species will never be discovered, but those that lingered longest have the potential to be found. Based on recent discoveries, I wouldn’t be surprised if 6-10 human species are determined to have lived in the last 50,000 years – and I reckon an additional species for the last 10,000 years is quite likely.

Anyway, here’s the news item:

In 2008, archeologists working at the Denisova Cave in Siberia’s Altai Mountains discovered a tiny piece of a finger bone, believed to be a pinky, buried with ornaments in the cave. Scientists extracted the mitochondrial DNA (genetic material from the mother’s side) from the ancient bone and checked to see if its genetic code matched with the other two known forms of early hominids – Neanderthals and the ancestors of modern humans. The team… discovered that the mtDNA from the finger bone matched neither – suggesting there might have been an entirely different hominid species that roamed the planet about 50,000 years ago.

According to Science magazine (26 March 2010), the suggested date is 40,000 years ago, based on radiocarbon dating of 30,000 to 48,000 years ago.  Where Neandertals average 202 nucleotide positions that are different from our own mitochondrial genome, Hominin X differs by 385 positions, and almost as many from the Neandertals. This suggests that the common ancestor was 1 million years ago.

A singular finger cannot determine how long Hominin X endured. Perhaps the Nephilim of the Bible were another human species?

Tags: Denisova Cave, siberia