John Hawks

John Hawks

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Denisovans

Fossils from the Grotte à Hominidés, Morocco, and crossroads of human evolution
Jaws, teeth, and a hyena-chewed femur may be close to the common ancestor of Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern people.
 • John Hawks
A possible archaic human from Borneo
The find of a single tooth from Gua Danang may be the first evidence of the archaic inhabitants of the island.
 • John Hawks
Top 10 discoveries about ancient people from DNA in 2025
In a year full of Denisovan discoveries, I look at some of the top highlights of research.
 • John Hawks
Deep history from the genomes of India
People carrying Neanderthal mixture entered the subcontinent after 50,000 years ago, meeting Denisovans
 • John Hawks
The problem skulls from Yunxian
The relationships of fossils from deep time in China may help reveal ancestral connections for the Denisovans
 • John Hawks
A shorter, sharper Out-of-Africa story is emerging
A new study of genomic ancestry in Papua New Guinea supports a short timeline for the dispersal of modern people
 • John Hawks
The gene from Denisovan to Neanderthal to modern mucus
A “genetic sandwich” reveals how a block of DNA entered several populations successively and was affected by natural selection.
 • John Hawks
Denisovan HLA and its role in immunity
Today's people have inherited several immune alleles from archaic people. Understanding what difference they made is a continuing challenge.
 • John Hawks
The humanity of a new Denisovan
Identification of the Harbin skull by mtDNA and proteins and what it means to be Homo sapiens.
 • John Hawks
Ghost populations in human origins
Genetic models are finding more and more unknown lineages. How real are they?
 • John Hawks
The problem when all the fossils are male
Protein data shows that most known Denisovan teeth come from male individuals, hamstringing attempts to understand the variation of this group.
 • John Hawks
A look at the Maba hominin skull
Found in 1958, the skull is one of a handful of fossil hominins from southern China that may be connected with the Denisovans.
 • John Hawks
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