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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIt was a previously unknown extinct bovine—an animal related to modern yaks—identified through ancient DNA from small bone fragments found at Denisova Cave and other sites in southern Siberia. The October 2026 report describes a genetic discovery, not a newly unearthed frozen carcass, and says the animal still needs further classification.
How researchers identified the animal
The bones were too small and indistinct to identify by appearance alone. Researchers analyzed ancient DNA from these “non-diagnostic” fragments and generated 20 ancient genomes spanning 200,000 years, according to Stockholm University’s 5 October 2026 report.
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The fragments came from Denisova Cave and other southern Siberian sites. As senior author Love Dalén, Professor of Evolutionary Genomics at the Centre for Palaeogenetics, put it: “This is a remarkable discovery of a large extinct species based on small non-diagnostic bones.”
What is known about its relationship to yaks
The bovine was related to modern yaks, but the report says it followed a separate evolutionary path that extended for hundreds of thousands of years. Researchers found negligible evidence that it interbred with other bovines in the region, including steppe bison and aurochs.
Was it a frozen carcass?
No. The October 2026 report describes an animal identified through DNA recovered from bone fragments; it does not report a complete frozen carcass. Earlier stories about frozen steppe-bison mummies in Siberia concern separate discoveries, not this DNA-based identification.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the animal have a formal species name?
Not in the Stockholm University report. It says further research is needed to classify the animal, and it does not provide a formal species name. The report therefore supports describing it as a previously unknown extinct bovine lineage related to yaks, rather than assigning it an unverified scientific name.
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