GoKawiil
Tech News
Scientists report developing a method using molecular markers to reliably identify fossils belonging to the Denisovans, an extinct human relative species known mainly from fragmentary remains. The approach reportedly allows researchers to confirm Denisovan identity in specimens that were previously difficult to classify using bone shape alone.
Researchers examined fossilized skull fragments, teeth and jaws to pinpoint facial features characteristic of Denisovans, including a low sloping forehead, a massive brow ridge, rectangular eye sockets, flat cheeks and a moderately raised nose bridge. The study also highlighted a flattened, elongated skull shape as a hallmark of the species, published in Nature.
Researchers extracted ancient proteins from Middle Pleistocene Xujiayao hominin bone fragments using minimally invasive drilling techniques at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in China. The proteomic data, combined with morphological analysis, were used to compare the Xujiayao specimen's biological profile with known Denisovan characteristics.
Researchers uncovered bones and stone tools inside a cave in China that belonged to Denisovans, an extinct human relative, spanning a period of roughly 120,000 years. The finds offer new physical evidence about the group's biology, diet, and daily life over an extended timeframe.
Researchers analyzed proteins from two fossilized teeth—a fourth premolar and a second molar—recovered from Bianfu Cave in southwestern China's Yunnan Province, dated to roughly 140,000 years ago. The proteomic evidence confirms these remains belong to Denisovans, adding to the small but growing collection of physical evidence for this elusive archaic human population. The cave, one of the oldest Palaeolithic sites in western Yunnan, also yielded thousands of stone tools and animal fossils alongside four hominin teeth.