The mysterious jaw pulled from the sea is a rare fossil of elusive human relative

Thehe Denisid They were a mysterious group of archaic people who probably lived from about 370,000 years ago until at least 30,000 years ago and are thought to be an offspring or sister of the Neanderthals. What we know a little about Denisovans is based on a handful Fragmented fossils Excavated in the Cave Denisova in Siberia and the Tibetan Plateau in China. However, a new analysis adds another piece to the Denisovan puzzle.

In a study published today in the magazine ScienceA team of researchers from Japan, Taiwan and Denmark revealed that a jaw discovered in Taiwan belonged to male denisod. They came to this conclusion after a paleoproteomic analysis – an analysis of ancient proteins – which revealed two variants of proteins related to the day. The identification provides the most convincing proof that Denisovans lived in various habitats and is adapted to a diverse climate.

“High quality paleoproteomic data derived from Penghu 1 (fossilized jaw), activated by relatively good fossil storage and optimized protein extraction methods indicate that Penghu 1 belonged to male dyed,” the researchers write in the study.

The fishermen dug Peng 1, along with other animal fossils, from the seabed of the Taiwanese Canal Peng, an area that was part of the Asian continent during the lower sea level of the Pleistocene era (2.5 million to 11,700 years ago). According to the study, the jaw bone dated 10,000 to 70,000 years ago, or 130,000 to 190,000 years ago.

The reason for the two sets of quite different age ranges is related to the methods used for the fossil date. Due to the degradation of the jaw bone, the team could not use direct dating techniques such as uranium-series or radio carbon. Instead, scientists relied on indirect clues, such as the chemical composition of the fossil, the species of animal fossils discovered nearby, and historical data at the sea level. Overall, this evidence indicated the two possible time windows.

Researchers sequencing proteins extracted from the jaw bone and teeth have restored 4,241 Amino acid residues (The building blocks of the protein) and identified two of them as specific variants-which means that the jaw bone belongs to Denisovan. This directly molecular evidence of Denisovan’s presence in modern Taiwan supports the theory previously indicated by the genetic studies of modern humans: namely, the Denisians existed in Southeast Asia.

One of the few things we know about Denisovans is that they have intervened with both Neanderthals and modern people. As such, some people today have genes passed on from distant ancestors to Denisovan – especially people from Southeast Asia, which suggests that Denisovans lived and interconnected with modern people there. However, before the paleoproteom’s analysis of the jaw bone, Denisovan’s fossils were only once confirmed by North Asia.

“The identification of Penghu 1 as Denisovan’s mandibula confirms the conclusion of modern human genomic studies that the Denisians were widespread in East Asia,” researchers explained in the study. Moreover, “the presence of denied in different geographical and climatic zones,” ranging from cold winters to the north, to the cool cool area of ​​the alpine subarctic zones, to the warm and moist conditions of tropical lowlands, “demonstrates their adaptation flexibility.”

The researchers also conducted morphological analyzes of the jaw bone, concluding that the Denisovan man had a healthy jaw, large molars and remarkable root structures. It is significant that these characteristics are aligned with the fossils of Denisovan from the Tibetan Plateau, which suggests that they may be broader features of denisovan.

In the end, the study sheds light on an ancient human relative, which we still know a little about, while expanding our understanding of early human development in Southeast Asia.