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Come face-to-face with Denisovans, the newly identified “third man” on Homo sapiens’ family tree—and how their miraculous discovery is rewriting the human story
In 2010, archaeologists working in Denisova Cave, Siberia, unearthed a tiny fragment of finger bone—and brought a lost human species to light. Thanks to the modern miracle of DNA analysis, “Denisovans” quickly took their place—alongside Neanderthals—as our closest cousins.
Since then, emerging research has rocked the field of paleoanthropology, from the timeline of human migration across the globe to our own genetic makeup. As researcher Condemi and journalist Savatier explain, Denisovans emerged 400,000 years ago, and went on to cover a “vast empire” across modern Asia and Southeast Asia, well before Homo sapiens arrived. Our ancient forebears then cross-bred with Denisovans in the East (as with Neanderthals in the West), and today, East Asians carry between 1 and 5 percent Denisovan DNA.
Working from the slimmest fossil record, scientists have used astounding new techniques to reconstruct the family structures, diet, technology, and even personal appearance of Denisovans and other prehistoric hominids—making The Secret World of Denisovans a 400,000-year account of human ingenuity.
“Defined by their DNA rather than by their physical appearance, the Denisovans present us with the ultimate mystery of human evolution. In their entertaining new book Silvana Condemi and François Savatier painstakingly assemble everything we currently know about these shadowy extinct relatives and boldly paint a picture of them as they may have been in life.”—Ian Tattersall, author of Understanding Human Evolution
“A clear overview of Denisova and its immediate antecedents.”—Science
“Condemi and Savatier bring together everything we know about this enigmatic human, allowing readers to get to know our ancient cousin species. The result is part primer, part detective story. But more than that, it’s a reminder that even our oldest assumptions about human history can be overturned and rewritten.”—Big Think
“Presents a compelling investigation into details of the Denisovans' emergence and their contributions to the scientific understanding of human history. . . . Beyond the scientific revelations and debates, The Secret World of the Denisovans conveys the sense of excitement and intellectual detective work that underpins paleoanthropology. It's an excellent read for anyone with an interest in human evolution, genetics, or simply a good scientific mystery.”—Shelf Awareness
“The Denisovans are among the most enigmatic early human fossils ever discovered. The Secret World of Denisovans is beautifully written and captures the complexities of scientific exploration, debate, and progress in an engaging and accessible way, without compromising scientific rigor and accuracy. The book gradually unveils the morphology and behavior of this population in a suspenseful, detective-like format. It is an entertaining read for professionals and the public alike.”—Miriam Belmaker, Paleoanthropologist, The University of Tulsa
