Scientists have gained more insight into an extinct species of archaic humans after confirmation that the oldest human fossil in Taiwan is the remains of a Denisovan.
Analysis of proteins extracted from a hominin mandible found in the Penghu Channel in 2015 dated to 10,000 to 70,000 years ago or 130,000 to 190,000 years ago showed that the bone belonged to a male Denisovan, said a study — titled “A male Denisovan mandible from Pleistocene Taiwan” — published in the international journal Science on Thursday.
The lower jawbone, from an individual named Penghu 1, is the first piece of fossil evidence that Denisovans were as widespread as genetic evidence had showed, the authors said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Science Web site
Genomic evidence suggested that the species ranged from eastern Asia and possibly into Oceania, but the only fossils had been found in Tibet and the Altai mountains in southern Siberia, the study said.
Penghu 1 shows that they ranged as far as the genetic evidence indicated, including to warm and humid regions, contributing author National Taiwan University Department of Life Sciences professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修) said.
The fossil also showed the distinct dentognathic traits that markedly distinguish Denisovans from their sister group, Neanderthals, Tsai said.
Photo: Cheng-Han Sun, AP
Follow-up research will focus on how Denisovans arrived in Taiwan, how they lived and whether they left Taiwan, he said.
However, while ancient protein was extracted from the bone, no DNA was found, greatly limiting the scope of analyses and the formation of hypotheses, he added.
That does not detract from the importance of the first-time discovery of Denisovans in Taiwan, Tsai said.
Contributing author Chang Chun-hsiang (張鈞翔) of the National Museum of Natural Science’s Center of Science said that finding Penghu 1 shows that Denisovans were able to adapt to different environments.
Ko Wen-ya (可文亞), an associate professor in National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University’s Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, said that the findings might affect how Taiwanese identify themselves, adding that the study’s conclusions locate Taiwan within the map of human evolution.
Tracing ancestral roots can help establish a deeper liaison between culture and biological heritage, Ko said.
Further research could explore whether groups in areas of Denisovan activity share similar genetic makeups, or if there are other species that are closely related to Denisovans, he added.
The study said the skeletal remains of Penghu 1 and other items were collected through dredging activities associated with commercial fishing from the sea bottom 25km off the western shore of Taiwan, “which was part of the Asian mainland during episodes of low sea levels during the Pleistocene.”
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