Chinese cave reveals details about mysterious extinct people
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Workers in a Chinese quarry in Yunnan province uncovered bones and stone tools, leading scientists to learn more about the Denisovans, an extinct group of ancient humans.
Researchers examined thousands of items found in the Bianfu Cave and confirmed that five bone fragments, pieces of a skull, forearm, and two teeth, belonged to Denisovans. This discovery provides one of the longest and most consistent records of Denisovan settlement, stretching back as far as 167,000 to 134,000 years.
Scientists first identified Denisovans in 2010 after finding a finger bone in Denisova Cave, Siberia. DNA from the bone revealed a previously unknown human species. Later discoveries of bones on the Tibetan Plateau and in the Taiwan Strait expanded the known range of these people south and east of Siberia. Last year, researchers reconstructed a Denisovan face using a skull found near Harbin in northeastern China.
The cave’s location is important because it is closer to areas where Denisovans and modern humans may have interbred. Modern populations with the highest percentage of Denisovan DNA live in Papua New Guinea and nearby islands. Alongside the bone tools, the team also found various stone tools, including scrapers and choppers, dating from 190,000 to 70,000 years ago. The archaeologists found no evidence that any other human species lived near the cave during the 120,000 years it was inhabited.
