Scientists have reconstructed the face of a long-lost human ancestor that may have played a critical role in our evolution.
They used the Harbin skull, also known as ‘Dragon Man,’ which is a 150,000-year-old nearly complete human skull discovered in China in 1933.
Paleoartist John Gurche utilized fossils and genetic data from the extinct species to recreate plastic replicas of remains.
He estimated the facial features of the ancient hominid using the eye-to-socket size ratio that is shared between African Apes and modern humans, and by measuring aspects of the skull’s bone structure to determine the shape and size of the nose.
Gurche then overlaid muscle on to the face by following markings on the skull left behind from chewing, revealing the first true look at an ‘unknown human.’
The species, named ‘Denisovans’ after a cave some of their remains were found in, lived between 200,000 and 25,000 years ago.
Their fossil and DNA records show that they lived on the Tibetan plateau, but traveled far and wide, with traces of their presence found in Southeast Asia, Siberia and Oceania.
Scientists first sequenced their genetic code in 2010 using a 60,000-year-old finger bone recovered from Denisova Cave in Siberia, finding Denisovan DNA in modern-day humans all over the world and particularly in Papua New Guinea populations.
Scientists have reconstructed the face of a long-lost human ancestor that may have played a critical role in our evolution
This is strong evidence to suggest that Denisovans interbred with Homo sapiens before they disappeared. Alongside Neanderthals, these ancient humans are our closest extinct relatives.
Researchers believe that this crossbreeding helped Homo sapiens adapt to new environments as they expanded their range across the world, and thus played an important part in our evolutionary history.
Despite a wave of research over the last two decades, much remains unknown about these early humans, as their fossil record is incredibly sparse compared to that of Neanderthals.
But thanks to a skull that was hidden in northeastern China for over 80 years, we can now see what our Denisovan ancestors really looked like.
The skull was found by a worker in Harbin, China in 1933. While it is similar in size to a modern human cranium, it has a wider mouth and a more prominent brow.
Upon discovering the remarkably complete 150,000-year-old fossil, he hid it inside a well where it remained for the rest of the 20th century.
In 2018, the skull resurfaced when the Chinese worker told his grandson about it shortly before he died.
Today, this fossil is known as the Harbin skull.
But there is a strong possibility that the Harbin skull is Denisovan, researchers say. A paleoartist used a plastic replica of this skull to begin reconstructing the Denisovan’s face
The primary evidence to support the Harbin’s skull’s Denisovan lineage is the morphological similarity between it and a jawbone found in Xiahe Cave on the Tibetan Plateau in 1980
Gurche used this skull to create a lifelike reconstruction of the Denisovan face.
Paleoartists use fossils and genetic data to determine what ancient species looked like when they were alive, then create models or illustrations of their appearance.
Gurche is famous for his hyperrealistic sculptures. His goal is always to get as close as he can to ‘looking into the eyes of these extinct species,’ he told National Geographic.
He used a plastic replica of the Harbin skull, commissioned by National Geographic, to begin making his Denisovan model.
Then, Gurche estimated the size of the Denisovan’s eyes using comparative anatomy, which is the process of comparing and contrasting the anatomy of different species.
He knew African apes and humans share a similar ratio of eyeball diameter to eye socket size, so he used this ratio to sculpt the eyes.
As for the nose, Gurche studied and carefully measured the bone structure of the Harbin skull to infer how wide the nasal cartilage might have been, and how far the nose protruded out from the face.
Many other fossils of Denisovan lineage have been recovered across the world, including this molar found in in Laos. But compared to Neanderthals, the Denisovan fossil record is sparse
All human skulls bear markings that indicate the position of the chewing muscles on the sides of the head, so he used these in addition to other measurements that indicate their thickness in order to build out the Denisovan’s face shape.
The Denisovan facial reconstruction is featured on February 2025 cover of National Geographic
The end result is a lifelike, science-backed rendering of this ancient human’s appearance, offering the most realistic look at our Denisovan’s ancestors to-date.
For more on this story, visit Natgeo.com.
Today, the Harbin skull’s lineage is still debated as there is no definitive genetic evidence to confirm what species it belongs to.
But experts believe there is a strong possibility that the skull is Denisovan.
The primary evidence to support this is the morphological similarity between the Harbin skull and a jawbone found in Xiahe Cave on the Tibetan Plateau in 1980.
Although the 160,000-year-old jawbone found 45 years ago contained no viable traces of genetic material, scientists were able to identify its lineage in 2016 using a new technique that indirectly analyzes a fossil’s DNA through its longer-lasting proteins.
Unraveling exactly how the Denisovans were able to travel thousands of miles across the world, and why they disappeared, will require more fossils
That analysis revealed that the jawbone was Denisovan, and its similarity to the Harbin skull suggests that fossil likely is too.
What’s more, the skull was found within the known geographic range of Denisovans, and was dated to a similar age.
Based on this evidence, some experts believe the Harbin skull is the most complete Denisovan fossil ever found.
Though this new look at the Denisovan face marks a major leap forward in scientists’ understanding of this extinct human species, unraveling exactly how they were able to travel thousands of miles across the world, and why they disappeared, will require more fossils.
