Artist's interpretation of the human ancestors who lived near Sima de los Huesos.
A fossil discovered in a Spanish cave has given researchers the oldest human DNA found to date. According to The New York Times , the DNA comes from a femur bone and is believed to be around 400,000 years old. But while it's helping to shed light on early human evolution, it's actually making matters more complicated. The fossil's anatomy reportedly made researchers believe at first that it came from an early Neanderthal, but the DNA appears to come from a separate branch of humans called Denisovans. Even more puzzling, until now Denisovan DNA has reportedly only been found in Siberia, at a site 4,000 miles away from this new discovery.
via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/4/5175488/researchers-find-400000-year-old-human-dna-spain-oldest-found
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