— © Demeter et al. / Nature Communication 2022
Deep in the forests of Laos, in a cave in the Annamite Mountains, researchers have discovered an unusual-looking molar, likely a rare fossil record of the mysterious Denisovans.
An exciting discovery
An extinct species of the genus Homo, the Denisovans were first identified when analyzing the bone of a child’s finger found in a Siberian cave in 2008, whose profile did not match any known human species. Based on the remains discovered to date, dating back almost 200,000 years, it appears that these hominins shared close genetic similarities to the hominins Neanderthals.
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Due to their rarity (six fossilized teeth and bones were discovered at the Siberian site and a partial lower jaw in a cave China), the discovery of a potential tooth of Denisova to Laosa much more southern region of the world, is a particularly exciting discovery for researchers.
“Analysis of the internal structure of the molar and paleoproteomic analysis of the enamel suggest that the tooth originated from a young homo individual, probably female,” write the authors of the study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications. According to them, this specimen was found in the cave Tam Ngu Hao 2 represents the first direct evidence for the presence of individuals of this type Denisova and associated fauna in South East Asia Mainland 164 to 131 thousand years ago.
Views of the TNH2-1 sample — © Demeter et al. / Nature Communication 2022
Such a discovery also confirms that this region was a hotspot of diversity for the genus Homo, with the presence of at least five species during the Pleistocene: Homo erectus, Denisova/Neanderthal, H. floresiensis (which would always remain on an Indonesian island) , H. luzonensis and H. sapiens.
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Typical features of the Denisova people
The development of the molar and the lack of signs of wear suggest that it belonged to a child who was between 3 and 8 years old at the time of his death. The team used the sediment that had settled on the tooth to date it, but unfortunately found no trace of DNA due to the sample’s age and tropical conditions, which are known to accelerate its degradation.
If the analysis of the proteins present in the molar, as well as its morphology, strongly suggest that it belongs to a Denisova and not to a Neanderthalshowever, more analysis is needed to definitively confirm this.
“The differences we are observing compared to Neanderthals do not preclude the TNH2-1 tooth from belonging to this taxon and would make it the southeasternmost Neanderthal fossil ever discovered,” the team writes. “However, considering the morphological peculiarities of TNH2-1 more comprehensively, together with the high degree of morphodimensional similarities with the molar teeth of the Denisovan specimen from the Chinese Xiahe Cave, the most reasonable hypothesis is that TNH2-1 belongs to this sister group of Neanderthals heard . »
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