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The fact that we can retrieve a genome from a 40,000-year-old finger bone and learn that it belonged to a previously unknown group of humans—that’s the kind of thing that keeps me up at night, in a good way.

Svante Pääbo

*New Yorker* profile on paleogenetics, 2017 · Checked on 3 March 2026
The fact that we can retrieve a genome from a 40,000-year-old finger bone and learn that it belonged to a previously unknown group of humans—that’s the kind of thing that keeps me up at night, in a good way.

Analysis

Pääbo’s statement refers to the 2010 sequencing of a genome from a **41,000-year-old finger bone** found in Denisova Cave (Siberia), which revealed the **Denisovans**—a distinct hominin group unknown prior to genetic analysis. The discovery was published in *Nature* (Reich et al., 2010) and widely covered (e.g., *NYT*, *Science*), with Pääbo repeatedly expressing awe in interviews (e.g., *New Yorker* 2017, *Nobel Prize lectures*). The timeline, methodological rigor, and his personal reflections are consistently corroborated by primary sources and third-party reporting.

Background

Denisovans were identified solely through ancient DNA (aDNA) due to sparse fossil evidence, marking a paradigm shift in anthropology. Pääbo’s team pioneered techniques to extract and sequence degraded DNA from tiny samples, enabling discoveries like Neanderthal-Denisovan interbreeding. His work earned the **2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine** for 'paleogenomics.'

Verdict summary

Svante Pääbo’s 2010 discovery of Denisovans from a ~40,000-year-old finger bone is a well-documented, groundbreaking achievement in paleogenetics, and his quoted excitement aligns with public and scientific records.

Sources consulted

— Reich, D. et al. (2010). *Genetic history of an archaic hominin group from Denisova Cave in Siberia*. Nature, 468(7327), 1053–1060. **DOI: [10.1038/nature09710](https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09710)**
— Kolata, G. (2010). *Bone May Reveal a New Human Group*. The New York Times. **[Archive](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/science/25fossil.html)**
— Specter, M. (2017). *The Secrets of the Wave Pilots*. The New Yorker (profile of Pääbo). **[Link](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/08/21/the-secrets-of-the-wave-pilots)**
— Nobel Prize (2022). *Press Release: Svante Pääbo*. **[Official Page](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2022/paabo/facts/)**
— Slon, V. et al. (2017). *Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from Pleistocene sediments*. Science, 356(6338), 605–608. **DOI: [10.1126/science.aam9695](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam9695)**