Ancient jawbone found on seafloor belongs to mysterious group of human ancestors
Scientists have identified an ancient jawbone discovered in Taiwan as belonging to the Denisovans, an elusive group of early human relatives.
Denisovans, who co-existed with Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, remain a poorly understood group. "Denisovan fossils are very scarce," noted Takumi Tsutaya of the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan, highlighting the significance of the find.
To date, confirmed Denisovan fossils are limited to fragmented remains, including jawbones, teeth, and a finger bone, primarily found in Siberian and Tibetan caves. Some researchers suggest that fossils discovered in a cave in Laos may also be attributed to Denisovans.
The probable identification of the jawbone from Taiwan as Denisovan expands the region where scientists know these ancient people once lived, said Tsutaya.
The partial jawbone was first recovered when a fishing operation dredged the seafloor in the Penghu Channel near the Taiwan Strait. After it was sold to an antique shop, a collector spotted it and purchased it in 2008, then later donated it to Taiwan's National Museum of Natural Science.
Based on the composition of marine invertebrates found attached to it, the fossil was dated to the Pleistocene era. But exactly which species of early human ancestor it belonged to remained a mystery.
The condition of the fossil made it impossible to study ancient DNA. But recently, scientists in Taiwan, Japan and Denmark were able to extract some protein sequences from the incomplete jawbone.
An analysis showed some protein sequences resembled those contained in the genome of a Denisovan fossil recovered in Siberia. The findings were published in the journal Science.
While the new research is promising, Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Project, said he would like to see further data before confirming the Taiwan fossil as Denisovan.
Potts, who was not involved in the new research, praised the study for 'a fantastic job of recovering some proteins.' But he added, such a small sliver of material may not give a full picture.
At one time, at least three human ancestor groups — Denisovans, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens — coexisted in Eurasia and sometimes interbred, researchers say.
'We can identity Neanderthal elements and Denisovan elements" in the DNA of some people alive today, said Tsutaya.
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