# Fu 2025: Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus of the >146,000-year-old Harbin cranium

> Qiaomei Fu, Peng Cao, Qingyan Dai et al., 2025. 7 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The genetic link between the Harbin cranium and the Denisovans.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CZKZ1DW4XNV/denisovan-mitochondrial-dna-from-dental-calculus-of-the-146  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Who were the Denisovans? The Harbin "Dragon Man" cranium](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity)Fu 2025

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# Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus of the >146,000-year-old Harbin cranium

Qiaomei Fu, Peng Cao, Qingyan Dai et al., 2025. _Cell 188(15): 3919-3926.e9_.

No DNA survived in a tooth or the petrous bone, but mitochondrial DNA was recovered from the cranium's dental calculus. It falls within Denisovan mtDNA variation, on a branch carried by early Denisovans at Denisova Cave.

**Who were the Denisovans? The Harbin "Dragon Man" cranium** ArticleCopy of **[Harbin cranium (HBSM2018-000018(A)), holotype of Homo longi](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/artifacts/ART0CZKZMQ21G74/harbin-cranium-hbsm2018-000018-a-holotype-of-homo-longi)** doi: **[10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.040](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.040)** Checked against the original0

## What it's used for here

The genetic link between the Harbin cranium and the Denisovans.

## Cited by on this site 7 records

[Harbin cranium (HBSM2018-000018(A)), holotype of Homo longi: document](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/copies/CPY0CZKZNEG67BG/harbin-cranium-hbsm2018-000018-a-holotype-of-homo-longi)

CPY

[Harbin dental calculus mitochondrial sequences (Fu et al. 2025, Cell)](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT0CZKZMF876QT/harbin-dental-calculus-mitochondrial-sequences-fu-et-al-2025)

Dataset

DAT

[Harbin dental calculus mtDNA falls within Denisovan variation, on the early Altai branch.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/evidence/EVD0CZKZC5M7ZW8/harbin-dental-calculus-mtdna-falls-within-denisovan)

Evidence

EVD

[No DNA survived in the tooth or petrous bone, so the mtDNA comes only from calculus.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/evidence/EVD0CZKZF3C57H8/no-dna-survived-in-the-tooth-or-petrous-bone-so-the-mtdna)

Evidence

EVD

[The two independent tests point to the same lineage.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/evidence/EVD0CZKZEKR0ZN8/the-two-independent-tests-point-to-the-same-lineage)

Evidence

EVD

[Who were the Denisovans? The Harbin "Dragon Man" cranium](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity)

The mystery article

MYS

[Is the molecular identification of the Harbin cranium sound?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/questions/QST0CZKZAYJ3G7F/is-the-molecular-identification-of-the-harbin-cranium-sound)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Fu, Q., Cao, P., Dai, Q., Bennett, E. A., Feng, X., Yang, M. A., Ping, W., & Pääbo, S. (2025). Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus of the >146,000-year-old Harbin cranium. Cell 188(15): 3919-3926.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.040
```

[Read it free at doi.org](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.040)

Key

**SRC** 0CZKZ1DW4XNV

Kind

Journal article

Rights

CC-BY-4.0

Kept

27 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published article

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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[CSL-JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CZKZ1DW4XNV/denisovan-mitochondrial-dna-from-dental-calculus-of-the-146/csl.json)