Experts Tested DNA From A Teenage Girl And Uncovered A New Type Of Human

Researchers were working inside a cave on a remote Indonesian island when they uncovered an unusual skeleton. Given the eerie place’s backstory, they knew it was anything but ordinary. In fact, this skeleton shook up the history books, and there’s a reason why many people haven’t even heard of its discovery.

A truly bizarre discovery

This skeleton belonged to a teenage girl, who was around 17 or 18 when she died. Amazingly, it seems that she lived well over 7,000 years ago. The discovery could have been considered special for that reason alone, but there was much more to it than that. This ancient girl was different. The experts had never seen anyone like her.

Chambers of secrets

Experts discovered this extraordinary skeleton deep inside a cave on the island of Sulawesi. The secluded spot, known as Leang Panninge — or ‘Bat Cave’ — is hidden on a wild part of the island, surrounded by jungles, sweeping valleys, and most importantly, a treasure trove of archeological finds. But none of them are quite like this one.

A hidden clue

Researchers started excavating Leang Panninge back in 2015, searching for clues about ancient humans in southeast Asia — one of the most mysterious pockets of human history. But little did they know that the cave would unlock such an extraordinary part of the puzzle.

Buried among the rocks

Deep within the cave, the team of archaeologists from Indonesia’s University of Hasanuddin spotted something hidden among dirt and rocks. It was an ancient burial pit. And inside lay a set of human bones that would end up challenging everything that the experts thought they knew about our ancestors.