Scientists have confirmed the identity of a mandible (jawbone) dredged from the Penghu Channel off the coast of Taiwan in 2008 as belonging to a Denisovan. Previously, the fossil’s origin was uncertain, but researchers analyzed proteins preserved inside the bone and found molecular markers that matched Denisovan specimens. This expansion of the known Denisovan geographic range to southeast Asia provides new insights into the distribution of this extinct hominin group and helps explain where their genetic traces are found in modern populations today. The study underscores the value of integrating proteomic analysis with traditional fossil morphology in paleoanthropology.
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