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Pleistocene chronology and history of hominins and fauna at Denisova Cave

Author

Listed:
  • Zenobia Jacobs

    (University of Wollongong
    University of Wollongong)

  • Elena I. Zavala

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
    University of California)

  • Bo Li

    (University of Wollongong
    University of Wollongong)

  • Kieran O’Gorman

    (University of Wollongong)

  • Michael V. Shunkov

    (Siberian Branch)

  • Maxim B. Kozlikin

    (Siberian Branch)

  • Anatoly P. Derevianko

    (Siberian Branch)

  • Vladimir A. Uliyanov

    (Lomonosov Moscow State University)

  • Paul Goldberg

    (University of Wollongong
    Universität Tübingen)

  • Alexander K. Agadjanian

    (Russian Academy of Sciences)

  • Sergei K. Vasiliev

    (Siberian Branch)

  • Frank Brink

    (Australian National University)

  • Stéphane Peyrégne

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Viviane Slon

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
    Tel Aviv University
    Tel Aviv University
    Tel Aviv University)

  • Svante Pääbo

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Janet Kelso

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Matthias Meyer

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Richard G. Roberts

    (University of Wollongong
    University of Wollongong)

Abstract

Denisova Cave in southern Siberia is the only site known to have been occupied by Denisovans, Neanderthals and modern humans. The cave consists of three chambers (Main, East and South), with the archaeological assemblages and remains of hominins, fauna and flora recovered from Main and East Chambers being the most thoroughly investigated to date. Here we report the results of analyses of the Palaeolithic artefacts, faunal remains and hominin and mammalian mitochondrial (mt) DNA recovered from renewed excavations in South Chamber. We construct a calendar-year time scale for the stratified Pleistocene deposits from optical dating of the sediments. The timing of hominin occupation and major turnovers in the mtDNA of Denisovans and large mammals largely accords with the patterns detected in Main and East Chambers. Time gaps in those sequences are partly filled by the South Chamber data and the sediment DNA record of Denisovans after 80,000 years ago is more than doubled in size. We combine the sediment dating and DNA records for all three chambers to reveal the whole-of-cave history of this unique site and the climatic conditions experienced by hominins and fauna over the past 300,000 years, including potential changes in habitat suitability for Denisovans and Neanderthals.

Suggested Citation

  • Zenobia Jacobs & Elena I. Zavala & Bo Li & Kieran O’Gorman & Michael V. Shunkov & Maxim B. Kozlikin & Anatoly P. Derevianko & Vladimir A. Uliyanov & Paul Goldberg & Alexander K. Agadjanian & Sergei K., 2025. "Pleistocene chronology and history of hominins and fauna at Denisova Cave," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60140-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60140-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katerina Douka & Viviane Slon & Zenobia Jacobs & Christopher Bronk Ramsey & Michael V. Shunkov & Anatoly P. Derevianko & Fabrizio Mafessoni & Maxim B. Kozlikin & Bo Li & Rainer Grün & Daniel Comeskey , 2019. "Age estimates for hominin fossils and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic at Denisova Cave," Nature, Nature, vol. 565(7741), pages 640-644, January.
    2. Elena Essel & Elena I. Zavala & Ellen Schulz-Kornas & Maxim B. Kozlikin & Helen Fewlass & Benjamin Vernot & Michael V. Shunkov & Anatoly P. Derevianko & Katerina Douka & Ian Barnes & Marie-Cécile Soul, 2023. "Ancient human DNA recovered from a Palaeolithic pendant," Nature, Nature, vol. 618(7964), pages 328-332, June.
    3. Zenobia Jacobs & Bo Li & Michael V. Shunkov & Maxim B. Kozlikin & Nataliya S. Bolikhovskaya & Alexander K. Agadjanian & Vladimir A. Uliyanov & Sergei K. Vasiliev & Kieran O’Gorman & Anatoly P. Derevia, 2019. "Timing of archaic hominin occupation of Denisova Cave in southern Siberia," Nature, Nature, vol. 565(7741), pages 594-599, January.
    4. Viviane Slon & Fabrizio Mafessoni & Benjamin Vernot & Cesare Filippo & Steffi Grote & Bence Viola & Mateja Hajdinjak & Stéphane Peyrégne & Sarah Nagel & Samantha Brown & Katerina Douka & Tom Higham & , 2018. "The genome of the offspring of a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father," Nature, Nature, vol. 561(7721), pages 113-116, September.
    5. Johannes Krause & Qiaomei Fu & Jeffrey M. Good & Bence Viola & Michael V. Shunkov & Anatoli P. Derevianko & Svante Pääbo, 2010. "The complete mitochondrial DNA genome of an unknown hominin from southern Siberia," Nature, Nature, vol. 464(7290), pages 894-897, April.
    6. Elena I. Zavala & Zenobia Jacobs & Benjamin Vernot & Michael V. Shunkov & Maxim B. Kozlikin & Anatoly P. Derevianko & Elena Essel & Cesare Fillipo & Sarah Nagel & Julia Richter & Frédéric Romagné & An, 2021. "Pleistocene sediment DNA reveals hominin and faunal turnovers at Denisova Cave," Nature, Nature, vol. 595(7867), pages 399-403, July.
    7. David Reich & Richard E. Green & Martin Kircher & Johannes Krause & Nick Patterson & Eric Y. Durand & Bence Viola & Adrian W. Briggs & Udo Stenzel & Philip L. F. Johnson & Tomislav Maricic & Jeffrey M, 2010. "Genetic history of an archaic hominin group from Denisova Cave in Siberia," Nature, Nature, vol. 468(7327), pages 1053-1060, December.
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