Denisova Cave DNA reveals unknown Ice Age species ‘Yak X’

Researchers have identified a previously unknown Ice Age bovine species, nicknamed ‘Yak X’, through DNA analysis of bone fragments found in Siberia’s Denisova Cave. The discovery, published in the journal Current Biology, reveals that this species diverged from the lineage of modern yaks approximately 400,000 years ago.

The study involved the genetic sequencing of 20 specimens, including 14 from Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains and six from other sites in the region. Because the bone fragments were too small and unidentifiable by shape alone, scientists relied on ancient DNA to confirm the existence of this distinct mammal.

Timeline data indicates the species lived alongside woolly mammoths, with the oldest samples dating back 250,000 to 200,000 years and the youngest specimens dating to roughly 27,000 years ago, marking the end of the species’ survival.