This book was originally published in French in 2024. Right before I started reading the ARC of the English translation from Netgalley an announcement was made in June 2025 that the Harbin skull aka Homo Longi from China had been identified as a Denisovan through proteomic testing. The main thrust of this book is that Homo heidelbergensis migrated out of Africa and became Homo neanderthalensis in Europe and became Denisovans in the east. This included not only the remains in the Altai mountains in Siberia or in the Tibetan highlands but also the peoples that populated China and southeast Asia. Their belief was that the Harbin skull would be found to be a Denisovan and they were correct. Overall a very satisfying explanation of how they came to this belief that was borne out before it was published in English. I have already ordered a physical copy. It is a very readable book for everyone, whether they have a science background or not.

Each time, Sapiens began by adopting the techniques of their hosts by integrating into their groups, before eventually absorbing these hosts once they outnumbered them. This is the same process that occurred during the European expansions into the Americas, Australia, northern Asia, etc. Far from being a marginal phenomenon, the ability to mix is a crucial social trait of all humans, enabling them to adapt everywhere.

Originally identified from DNA extracted from a tiny fragment of a finger of a skeleton in a cave, the authors here lay out a convincing case that the Denisovans were sort of equals to / cousins of the Neanderthals, but based in Asia rather than Europe. This explains why people of each region still today often have a certain percentage of the respective genes. They use a theory of successive waves of journeys out from Africa, with different species and different skills involved, with adaptations along the way, to show that each species interbred with and also learned from the previous species in Europe or Asia, becoming more successful and settled until finally Sapiens came along and picked up technologies and physical adaptations and crowded everyone else out.

There is a bit of score-settling and point-scoring, not being able to believe the terrible decisions other palaeontologists have made about skeletons and DNA, but that's pretty par for the course in such books, and the combination of a science journalist and scientist makes it an easy and understandable read.

The most interesting point for me was the idea quoted above, that we didn't stop doing this when prehistory finished; that during White Settler colonisation, humans both adopted technologies to cope with the particular environment and tried to breed out the original inhabitants, reading with my social justice lenses in.

Review published on my blog 17 August 2025: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/08/17/two-non-fiction-book-reviews-the-secret-world-of-denisovans-and-with-her-own-hands/

The Secret World of Denisovans is a layman accessible monograph on early hominids, Denisovans specifically, written by Drs. Silvana Condemi & François Savatier. Originally published in French in 2024, this English language translation is due out 19th Aug 2025 from The Experiment. It's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

The authors write authoritatively and well, in fairly simplified (mostly jargon-free) language about the fascinating discovery of a single fingertip and DNA evidence in 2010 of yet another hominid cousin who was neither Sapiens -nor- Neanderthal.

Fascinating for any readers who are interested in paleoanthropology, current science, biology, and natural history. The authors meander quite a lot in explaining migratory patterns and probable evolutional patterns and developments, and don't always make clear/explicit connections between the information they're providing (elephant DNA for example) and how it should relate to the Denisovan migrations and possible interaction between them and other early hominids.

It's sparsely illustrated throughout. Although it's not a rigorously academic text, the authors are academics, and have done a stellar job of meticulously annotating the information throughout. The chapter notes and bibliography are likely worth the price of the book for fans of natural history alone. The translation work is seamless, and it doesn't read like a translated book in general.

Four stars. It would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home library, or gift giving.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you to Silvana Condemi and Fancois Savatier, NetGalley, and The Experiment Publishing for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

In addition to considering the evolution of the Denisovans, this book also reviewed the currently accepted scientific theories of all hominid species. I found all of it thoroughly fascinating. I am not a professional in this field but was able to keep up with the science in the book. There was enough background so that I could make sense of each point, without so much that it became redundant. Excellent book!

The discovery of Denisovan DNA in Siberia’s Denisova Cave revolutionized our understanding of human evolution. This book explores the Denisovans—a previously unknown hominid species—their migration across Asia, interactions with other hominids, and their genetic legacy in modern East Asians. Leading researchers detail the fossil evidence and genomic sequencing, rewriting the story of early human migration.

I had high hopes for this book, and it did not disappoint. Well-written and translated, it’s full of the latest science about the Denisovans—practically a revelation on every page. It’s exciting to see how the Denisovans fit into the human tapestry, filling a niche that was unexplained until now.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up Neanderthal Man by Svante Paabo recently and it resparked my interest in ancient hominids (btw recommend that book if you enjoy this one and/or if you're interested in reading more about the process of figuring out how we sequence ancient DNA- it's fascinating I promise). I was very intrigued by this one because I haven't heard as much about Denisovans as other hominid species, and much of what I have heard has been shrouded in mystery. Condemi and Savatier do a good job of summarizing (what I assume to be) the most current research on the matter, as well as providing a background in what we know about other human species in general.

I found myself highlighting passage after passage that changed the way I thought about what I thought I knew. For example, I knew that the discovery of fire and subsequent invention of cooked food was one major factor in the explosion of brain development in humans, but it never occurred to me that one reason for this is that digestion of cooked food is less costly than raw food so more energy was available to be used by the brain. Are you fascinated yet?

My only (minor) gripe was an inconsistent expectation of audience knowledge. I wish I remembered to highlight examples, but I felt like the authors took the time to give (albeit excellent) explanations of concepts I would think would be more common knowledge than other concepts they breezed right by. I also can't comment on any of the drawings or diagrams as they weren't included in the ARC (unless I'm just blind, in which case, apologies).

Thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for the eARC!

This book was fascinating! I have a degree in anthropology, but it's been awhile since I dipped by toe in the subject. This book did a great job of laying the foundation and exploring what we've learned about Denisovans in recent years. I think this would be more interesting for individuals with some anthropology background (mostly because it's a lot of information to keep straight), but the authors do a good job of explaining topics.

A ground-breaking and informative look into where we came from and what makes us who we are today. A fascinating, but quite dry, read for those interested in ancestry.

A fascinating exploration of our current knowledge of the Denisovans.
Turns out most of what I thought I knew about the Denisovans (mainly from newspaper articles) wasn't very accurate!
There is a lot of information packed into this book but the two authors, (one a paleoanthropologist, the other a journalist) have written an accessible book that is easy to follow.

They don't just paint a portrait of what we can so far infer about the Denisovans but also explain where they may have come from. This necessitates what may seem like tangents on earlier human species and migrations but it is all relevant.
They also explain why the existence of Denisovans was only discovered in 2010 through DNA analysis when Nethanderdals have been well documented for over a century.

If you have an interest in the Denisovans, or archaic humans in general, then this is a very good introduction to the world of
paleoanthropology.

My thanks to The Experiment and NetGalley for an ARC copy.

While Neanderthals found themselves confined to a small, freezing territory during glacial maximums, Denisovans continued to thrive across an immense continent that had expanded due to decreasing sea levels, and still had enough exchanges with their northern relatives to maintain their genetic diversity. [loc. 1844]
Subtitled 'The Epic Story of the Ancient Cousins to Sapiens and Neanderthals', this is an accessible overview of current paleoanthropology as it relates to the Denisovans -- a human species who went extinct around 25,000 years ago, but whose DNA persists in Asian and Oceanic populations. Condemi is a paleoanthropologist, Savatier is a journalist: between them they have produced a very readable text, with boxed sections for the more technical or theoretical aspects of the story.

And it is a story: from the 2010 identification of the new species from DNA in a single finger-bone found in a remote Siberian cave, to ongoing debate about whether the Denisovans were indeed a separate species or whether they should be grouped with other extinct hominids. The species is not yet formally recognised by International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (see this article for current discussion... though Wikipedia now indicates that the Denisovans have been classified as Homo longi) but Condemi and Savatier argue that it is very much a separate species, diverging from the shared ancestor of Neanderthals, Denisovans and Homo sapiens about a million years ago -- and crossbreeding with neanderthalis (definitely) and sapiens (probably). Denisovans and Neanderthals had more in common, genetically, with one another than with Homo sapiens: the prevailing theory seems to be that Denisovans and Neanderthals had the same origin, but evolved differently in Asia and in Europe.

The book offers a good overview of the waves of human migration from Africa, and the differing environmental influences in Asia and in Europe. For instance, the effects of the ice ages were greater in Europe than in East Asia: on the other hand, there were fewer accessible sources of workable stone, which probably meant that early humans used bamboo rather than stone tools -- which won't have survived well. I also learnt that there had been a 'mega meteorite' impact somewhere in Eastern Asia around 800,000 years ago: Condemi and Savatier discuss its likely impact on human populations in the area. And I, with my European focus, wasn't aware of the 'drowned continent' Sundaland, currently below sea level but above water for 40% of the last 250,000 years. This, the authors suggest, is likely where the Denisovans evolved.

Occasionally the book does get technical -- the chapters on analysis of fossil skulls from different species were a struggle for me -- but overall it's a fascinating and very readable volume, full of the history of paleoanthropology as well as the prehistory of humanity.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 19th August 2025.

I thought this was well researched but the writing was a bit too heavy for my style. I read the majority of the book but did not finish it, therefore I will not be posting a review on my storygraph.

But I thank the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity, this book would be great for people who are more into hard sciences

This engaging examination of the state of knowledge of Denisovans is a great example of effective popular science communication. It's beautifully written thanks to the teamwork of Condemi, a paleoanthropologist, and Savatier, a journalist (props to the translator as well for achieving the awesome conversational style). It provides a nice balance of introductory level explanation and scientific detail, making it palatable to paleo-noobs and paleo-nerds alike.

The arguments for Denisovan evolution, migration, and specimen categorization are all very compelling. I appreciate that time is given to address contradictory theories with a reasoned rebuttal in each instance.

I knew very little about the Denisovan evidence, and what I thought I knew was clearly very muddled. I've enjoyed learning more about the current state of the evidence and look forward to following future discoveries.

The Secret World of Denisovans is a fascinating and accessible introduction to one of our most mysterious human relatives. Condemi and Savatier do a great job explaining complex science—especially DNA analysis and human evolution—in a clear, engaging way. The book brings the Denisovans to life through compelling discoveries, like the hybrid “Denny,” and highlights their lasting genetic legacy. At times, the narrative can feel uneven, and the denser sections may challenge casual readers. Still, it’s an enlightening read for anyone curious about ancient humans and the story of our origins.

I find it fascinating how discoveries made in the last few decades keep rewriting the evolutionary history of our species. While it is interesting to follow these developments in real time, there is a caveat: we have limited knowledge, and every new scientific paper can radically change the whole picture.

Still, I was happy to find a whole book devoted to the mysterious Denisovans, even if many of the hypotheses presented are speculative (If you want to better understand why we should not rely too much on genomic evidence in this field, I recommend this illuminating book: The Trouble with Ancient DNA by Anna Källén).

Co-written by a paleontologist and a science journalist, it is fairly accessible and certainly provides great background on the current state of knowledge about the evolution of hominids. It's worth mentioning that it's a translation of the French original, so it has a slightly different style and vibe than English-language popular science books.

Thanks to the publisher, The Experiment, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Built around the story of the discovery and re-discovery of the Denisovans, a further subgroup of humans during their evolution, this is a short review of paleoanthropology in general, with a particular focus on the most recent understanding of the history of humans.

It is a quick read, and I liked it for providing an update on the science here in general. The degree to which the successive waves of humans moving around matter for the picture is memorable to note.

The book ends somewhat abruptly, and can lean towards the overly cheesy in the sub-headings. It leans too hard towards the big reveal as a concept that is underwhelming, and I occasionally wondered if some of the conclusions were overstated. But I particularly like this book as a sort of refresher course in hominin evolution.

My thanks to the authors, Silvana Condemi & François Savatier, for writing the book, and to the publisher, The Experiment, for making the ARC available to me.

You'd need to have previously read another popular-science sort of book explaining what's been going on in archaic genetics for the past 20 years, to be able to understand this book. Despite the authors' occasional use of friendly metaphors and humorous similes, mostly this book is way down in the paleogenetic weeds. Reading it in galley format does put one at a disadvantage, because it appears that all the tables and charts are omitted. The illustrations are at the back. I was quickly lost in all the Homo species.

I did take away from this many useful facts, partly because I had already read a book or two giving an overview of the subject. As Neanderthal humans were in Europe, Denisovan humans were in Asia - their ancestors left Africa and spread both east and west across the continent of Eurasia. Neanderthals were subject to pressure from the ice ages - they could only go so far south and then they hit the Mediterranean sea, so the populations remained somewhat small and without genetic diversity. This was not true of Denisovans, they had access to south and southeast Asia and wherever they could get to by water. So their population remained larger, and more genetically diversified. When Homo sapiens began spreading across the continent, they interbred with the populations they found there. Thus people of European ancestry have a small percentage of Neanderthal representation in their genome, and people of Asian ancestry have a somewhat larger percentage of Denisovan representation in their genome. Both groups adapted to their climates and diets over time with skin color, body size, structure of teeth, etc.

The artistic renderings of what they may have looked like didn't seem particularly useful given the incomplete nature of bones discovered so far.

If you are interested in and informed about human evolutionary and genetic history you will probably get a lot out of this very detailed book.

I love learning about prehistory and the “humans” that came before us- Ive actually read several of the books mentioned in the text! I really liked how this was put together and all the research that went into it. The science was fascinating and the stories behind were as well. Definitely worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Sometimes, one has to sit back and marvel at the sheer enormity of the knowledge that we do not yet have about our genetic ancestors. There is so much that we have to learn, and it does truly boggle the mind how far back things go.

This was a very interesting, if not slightly short, book about the Denisovans. I did find that there was a bit of difficulty with the thread of the book, however, I could understand where the author was trying to go with it. I do think that there were some facets of it that were a little disconnected, but it was still interesting.

The book was definitely accessible too, which was fantastic. There’s something to be said for a scientific book that simplifies jargon but doesn’t dumb it down, and this book does that successfully. I would have loved to have a little more meat on the bones of this one, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher (as well as the wonderful authors!) for granting me access to a digital advance reader copy of this delightful, informative, light-hearted deep-dive into what we currently know of the world of the mysterious, lost Denisovans. Highly recommended!

This is a decidedly odd book. Was there a "secret" hominid that the world overlooked? While the Neanderthals get all the limelight, perhaps there was another lost species of human lurking in the background. The science seems settled - yes there was - so this book tells us how scientists reached that conclusion.

Except, it isn't really clear who this book is aimed at. Part of it is very casually written - a hint of pop science and a healthy dollop of the personal lives of the scientists. The other part is a rather dense and unforgiving science book which is slightly beyond casual readers like me.

I was suddenly bombarded with sentences about the "tiny epiphysis (tip) of the distal phalanx" and how "the famous Denisova 3, was found in a stratigraphic position" and that "Exogenous DNA comes from the numerous necrophagous organisms that attack the remains after death."

There's very little ramp-up to the science and it suffers from the "Average Familiarity Fallacy" that non-experts have a working understand of the intricacies of a complex field.

It is interesting, and parts of it are downright fascinating:

The team of researchers found that the site’s hunter-gatherers cooked giant carp of up to 6.5 feet (2 m) long, which they caught in a nearby lake. Several burnt flint microartifacts suggest they made fires. In the same layers as the burnt flints, the researchers collected around 40,000 pharyngeal teeth, carp teeth that are found at the bottom of their mouths. These teeth are all that remain of the carp, as heat softens the cartilaginous bones of fish and eradicates the possibility of their preservation. The discovery of these teeth suggests the fish were cooked at a controlled temperature rather than being grilled.

Even if we don’t know how the occupants of GBY made their fires, we do know that they stewed fish. Using X-ray diffraction, researchers established that the thermal expansion of the nanocrystals that make up the tooth enamel suggests their exposure to low to moderate heat: specifically, lower than 932°F (500°C), whereas a wood fire produces temperatures of between 1,472°F and 1,832°F (800°C and 1,000°C). It’s likely that prehistoric people cooked carp en papillote, probably by burying them near their fires after wrapping them in giant water lily leaves collected from the nearby lake.

I mean! Wow! That's some brilliant detective work.

Sadly, there is quite a lot of dusty old bones to wade through before you hit the good stuff. In the end, I found myself confused as to how different Neanderthals and Denisovans actually were.

The (pre-release) copy of the eBook commits the error of relegating all the images to the back. Several paragraphs are crying out for immediately viewable illustrations to help make sense of the text.

If you have a reasonable familiarity with palaeontology you'll probably enjoy this greatly - but it is a little too taxing for those of us with less evolved brains.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.