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Q92 (IAS/2019) Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) › Genetics and evolution Official Key

The word 'Denisovan' is sometimes mentioned in media in reference to

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The Denisovans or Denisova hominins are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human that ranged across Asia during the Middle to Late Pleistocene, approximately 200,000–32,000 years ago.[1] The first identification of a Denisovan individual occurred in 2010, based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) extracted from a juvenile finger bone excavated[2] from Denisova Cave in Siberia. This represents a significant discovery in human evolutionary history, as Denisovans are a distinct early human species, separate from both modern humans and Neanderthals. In 2025, mtDNA and proteomic analysis confirmed that this skull is a Denisovan[3], referring to the Harbin skull from China, which has expanded our understanding of Denisovan morphology beyond the original finger bone fragments.

Option A is incorrect as Denisovans are hominins, not dinosaurs. Option C is incorrect because while the name derives from Denisova Cave where the first fossils were found, that cave is in Siberia, not North-East India. Option D is incorrect as Denisovan refers to a species, not a geological period.

Sources
  1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denisovan
  2. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denisovan
  3. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denisovan
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. The word 'Denisovan' is sometimes mentioned in media in reference to [A] fossils of a kind of dinosaurs [B] an early human species [C]…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a classic 'Term in News' question from the Science & Tech domain. While static history books cover Indian fossils like 'Narmada Man', they miss global breakthroughs. The strategy is to track major evolutionary discoveries in The Hindu's Sunday Science page, specifically those altering the human family tree.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is "Denisovan" the name given to fossils of a kind of dinosaur?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The first identification of a Denisovan individual occurred in 2010, based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) extracted from a juvenile finger bone excavated"
Why this source?
  • The passage is the Wikipedia entry for 'Denisovan', which describes identification of Denisovans from human DNA.
  • It states Denisovans were identified from a juvenile finger bone, indicating they are hominins (ancient humans), not dinosaurs.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Scientists discovered a new kind of human with its pinkie bone. Now we have a skull."
Why this source?
  • This National Geographic passage discusses Denisovans in the context of 'other human species' and human evolution.
  • It explicitly links a discovered pinkie bone and skull to a human type called a Denisovan, confirming they are ancient humans.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Early India: From the Beginnings to the Indus Civilisation > Hominin and Animal Fossils > p. 3
Strength: 4/5
“Unlike Africa, evidence of hominin [immediate ancestor of Homo Sapiens] fossil is rare in India. There is a report of a fossil fragment discovered by Robert Bruce Foote from Athirampakkam. Its whereabouts are not known now. The only well-known hominin fossil of India was found at Hathnora near Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. The cranium is named Narmada human. It is considered to represent the Archaic Homo sapiens. It is the only existing fossil find of human ancestors in India. Animal fossils are useful to understand the palaeo-environmental context in which people lived. In the Narmada valley, animal fossils of Elephas namadicus (giant tusked pre-historic elephant), Stegodon ganesa (a giant pre-historic elephant), Bos namadicus (wild cattle) and Equus namadicus (extinct great horse like animal) have been recovered.”
Why relevant

Distinguishes 'hominin' fossils (ancestors of Homo sapiens) as a category of fossil distinct from non‑human animals.

How to extend

A student could use this to check whether 'Denisovan' appears in literature as a hominin name rather than a reptile/dinosaur name.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 3: Geological Time Scale The Evolution of The Earths Surface > 3.4. Phanerozoic Eon (550 mya to present) > p. 44
Strength: 5/5
“• The first fossils of animals appeared. Life remained mostly microscopic until the Cambrian Explosion about 541 million years ago.• Pangaea forms and later dissolves into Laurasia and Gondwana.• The Phanerozoic eon is divided into three eras. The three eras are further subdivided into 12 periods. • 1. the Palaeozoic, an era of arthropods, amphibians, fishes, and the first life on land;• 2. the Mesozoic, which spanned the rise, reign of reptiles, climactic extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, the evolution of mammals and birds; and• 3. the Cenozoic, which saw the rise of mammals.”
Why relevant

Explains the three eras (Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic) and that the Mesozoic featured the rise and reign of reptiles including non‑avian dinosaurs, while the Cenozoic saw the rise of mammals.

How to extend

A student can compare the time period associated with dinosaurs (Mesozoic) to the time period when hominins/mammals appear (Cenozoic/Pleistocene) to judge if a named fossil fits 'dinosaur'.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 3: Geological Time Scale The Evolution of The Earths Surface > Mesozoic Era (250 mya to 66 mya) > p. 47
Strength: 5/5
“• Mesozoic era is known as "the Age of the dinosaurs", the Mesozoic features the rise of reptiles.”
Why relevant

States the Mesozoic era is 'the Age of the dinosaurs' and highlights that dinosaurs are a distinct ancient group.

How to extend

A student could look up when 'Denisovans' (if known) lived and see whether that timing matches the Mesozoic (dinosaurs) or much later periods associated with hominins.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 3: Geological Time Scale The Evolution of The Earths Surface > Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event (Fifth Extinction – 66 mya) > p. 48
Strength: 5/5
“• At the end of the Cretaceous, the Deccan Traps and other volcanic eruptions were poisoning the atmosphere, and a large meteor smashed into Earth, creating the Chicxulub Crater (Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico) creating the event known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) or Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) extinction.• Every living thing with a body mass over 10 kilograms became extinct, and the age of the dinosaurs came to an end. In its wake, many groups underwent remarkable adaptive radiation—sudden and prolific divergence into new forms and species. Mammals diversified in the Paleogene, evolving new forms such as horses, whales, bats, and primates. Birds, fish, and perhaps lizards also radiated.”
Why relevant

Describes the K‑Pg (Cretaceous–Paleogene) extinction ~66 mya that ended the age of dinosaurs and notes that afterward mammals (including primates) diversified.

How to extend

A student could use this to reason that any fossil group identified as hominins must post‑date the dinosaur extinction, so a name tied to human ancestry is unlikely to be a dinosaur.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 3: Geological Time Scale The Evolution of The Earths Surface > 3. Geological Time Scale – The Evolution of The Earth's Surface > p. 42
Strength: 4/5
“• Mass Extinction: Anthropocene; Eon: ; Mya: 0 1.8; Era: CENOZOIC; Col5: ; Period: Quaternary Rise of Humans; Col7: Holocene Pleistocene Pilocene Miocene; Eopch: ; Col9: • Mass Extinction: K-T; Eon: ; Mya: 50; Era: ; Col5: ; Period: Tertiary Rise of Mammals Age of Mammals; Col7: Oligocene Eocene Paleocene; Eopch: ; Col9: • Mass Extinction: 80% Death Rate; Eon: ; Mya: 100; Era: MESOZOIC; Col5: ; Period: Cretaceous Extinction of Dinosaurs, First Primates First Flowering Plants; Col7: ; Eopch: ; Col9: • 150 | Jurassic First Birds • Triassic Death Rate 85% | 200 | Age of Dinosaurs Triassic First Dinosaurs Age of Reptiles • Mass Extinction: Permian Death Rate 90%; Eon: ; Mya: 250 300; Era: ; Col5: ; Period: Permian First Reptiles Major Extinction; Col7: ; Eopch: ; Col9: • PHANEROZOIC | 350 | CARBONIFEROUS | Pennsylvanian First Insects Trees • Devonian | Misissippian Many Crinoids Seed Ferms • Mass Extinction: Death Rate 70%; Eon: ; Mya: 400; Era: PALEOZOIC; Col5: ; Period: Devonian First Seed Plants Age of Fishes, First Ar; Col7: ; Eopch: ; Col9: • Silurian Earliest Land Animals First Vascular Plants • Ordovician Death Rate 85% | 450 | Ordovician Early Bony Fish Diversification of Animal Life • OPMFIAS | 500 550 | Cambrian Invertebrate animals Brachiopods, Trilobites, First Fish & Chordates • Proterozoic | Bacteria, Algae, Jellyfish • Archean | 2500 4000 | Earth's crust had cooled enough to allow the formation of continents and life started to form • Hadean | 4540 | Formation of Earth OPMFIAS”
Why relevant

Provides a timeline of major eras/periods and links the extinction of dinosaurs to the Mesozoic/Cretaceous boundary and the subsequent 'Rise of Humans' in the Cenozoic/Quaternary.

How to extend

A student can map 'Denisovan' (if placed among hominins) onto this timeline to assess whether it could plausibly be a dinosaur name.

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