In a cave in southern Siberia, DNA reveals that Neanderthals once spent time there, along with another group of early humans: Denisovans. Previously a mystery, with only fragments of fossils found in the Denisova Cave, ancient DNA has allowed scientists to genetically identify the Denisovans and uncover surprising new information that many modern humans have both Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA.

Tom Higham, Professor of Scientific Archaeology at the University of Vienna, is at the forefront of this discovery. He has been working at Denisova Cave for the last decade with a team of researchers using new molecular methods to learn about the Denisovans, find out where and when they lived, how they interacted with Neanderthals and modern humans, and why they disappeared. 

Moderator: Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

This Zoom webinar with Tom Higham aired live on September 15, 2022 as part of the ongoing "HOT (Human Origins Today) Topic" series.