The word ‘Denisovan’ is sometimes mentioned in media in reference to
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2019 Prelims]
(a) fossils of a kind of dinosaurs
(b) an early human species
(c) a cave system found in North-East India
(d) a geological period in the history of Indian subcontinent
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
- Denisovans are a group of ancient humans.
- Our first tantalising glimpse of the Denisovans came in 2010 with genetic analysis of a tooth and tiny finger bone found in a cave called Denisova in the Altai mountains of Siberia.
- The fossil record of these mysterious humans remains extraordinarily sparse – comprising just four fragments of bone and teeth and a jawbone found in Tibet.