Since the discovery of a piece of a finger bone in a Siberian cave in 2010, the story of how humans populated the earth has undergone a significant change, ultimately revealing an entirely unknown group of hominins--the Denisovans--related but distinct from both Neanderthals and Sapiens.
In The Secret World of Denisovans, paleoanthropologist Silvana Condemi and Pour la Science (the French edition of Scientific American) journalist François Savatier present a compelling investigation into details of the Denisovans' emergence and their contributions to the scientific understanding of human history. The authors meticulously piece together genetic analysis, archeological evidence, and comparative studies with Neanderthals and early modern humans, illustrating the physical ways (such as their teeth) in which they differed from other early humans, and their interesting genetic legacy in modern human populations, most particularly in Asia and Oceania.
Condemi and Savatier explore with insight and depth the implications of Denisovans interbreeding with Neanderthals and Sapiens, challenging previous understandings of human migration and interaction. The Secret World also delves into the daily lives of the Denisovans, drawing inferences from the sparse archeological record to paint a picture of the ways they used tools, their hunting strategies, and their other adaptations to the environment.
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. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.