Scientists uncover Ice Age mammal 'Yak X' in Denisova Cave
Technology
Scientists just uncovered a brand-new Ice Age mammal, called Yak X, hidden in Siberia's famous Denisova Cave.
They figured this out by analyzing ancient bone DNA, pretty cool tech.
This spot is already known for the first Denisovan human remains, so it's a big deal for understanding what life looked like back then.
Denisovans probably hunted yak x
Yak X split off from modern yaks' ancestors about 400,000 years ago and stuck around until at least 27,000 years ago.
The cave was basically an Ice Age hangout for giant animals like wooly mammoths, steppe bison, and even predators like cave hyenas.
Turns out Denisovans probably hunted Yak X too, giving us fresh insight into how these ancient humans and animals all interacted.