Scientists Confirm First Denisovan Radius in China After Screening 60,000 Bone Fragments
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · Oct 28
Scientists Confirm First Denisovan Radius in China After Screening 60,000 Bone Fragments
3 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · Oct 28
Summary
A forearm fragment from Bianfu Cave in Yunnan has been confirmed as the first known Denisovan radius, giving researchers rare evidence of body structure below the skull.
More than 60,000 fragments were narrowed to 22 candidates through shape-based pre-screening, then tested with ZooMS and protein analysis that identified five Denisovan remains.
The radius, dated to about 148,000 to 134,000 years ago, shows a mix of Neanderthal-like size and muscle attachment features with a more modern-human overall shape.
Two skull fragments and two teeth from layers dated roughly 167,000 to 134,000 years ago also carried Denisovan-specific protein markers, with evolutionary trees clustering them with Denisova 3 at 100% posterior probability.
The finds make Bianfu Cave the richest Denisovan site outside Denisova Cave and strengthen evidence that Denisovans were widespread across Asia, including southwest China.