The tooth that was found in a cave in what is now Laotian is believed to be that of a young girl who lived up to 164,000 years ago.
The study shows that Denisovans lived in a wide range of environments and latitude, from the cold mountains of the Altai in Russia to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.
Genetic studies indicated that Denisovans were adapted to high altitude and cold climates, but now we know that they were living in warmer and more humid climates.
Modern humans are the only surviving members of the group Homo, the human family tree, and other human lineages once lived on Earth. The Neanderthals and Denisovans are the closest extinct relatives of modern humans.
The oldest known human fossils were found in a cave.
The ancestors of modern humans split about 700,000 years ago from the ancestors that gave rise to Neanderthals and Denisovans, according to previous research. The analysis of the fossils showed they were close enough to interbreed with modern humans.
There is a lot of mystery about Denisovans. Only five fossils linked for certain with them have been discovered so far, which limits what researchers know about them. Scientists who discovered a skull in China dubbed Dragon Man claimed it was from a new species called Homo longi, but other researchers think it may be a Denisovan skull.
The location of Denisovans is also debated. The fossils unearthed to date all came from mainland Asia, but prior genetic evidence suggests that people in the islands in Southeast Asia have Denisovan heritage.
The first fossil evidence of Denisovans in Southeast Asia may be the new tooth.
A tooth was discovered in a cave in the Annamite Mountains of Laos, which has an entrance that is more than 100 feet above the ground. The limestone cave was found due to its proximity to the site where ancient fossils of modern humans were found. Fossils of animals, such as rhinoceros, tapirs and sambar deer, were found in the Cave.
There are 4 images, the first one is image 1 and the 2nd one is image 3.
Even if recent results of genetic studies suggested that Denisovans and modern humans met in southern Asia during the late Pleistocene, we did not expect to find a Denisovan tooth in Laos.
The left side of the lower jaw was not yet erupted from the tooth. It was thought to be a child between 3.5 and 8.5 years old. Analyzing the dirt and rock surrounding the tooth with techniques such as luminescence dating, which analyzes how long mineral grains were last exposed to sunlight to estimate their age, and radioactive dating, which measures the age of things based on how long it takes certain chemical elements to radioactively decay, suggested
The team confirmed it was from Homo by analyzing the tooth's enamel. The tooth is thought to have come from a female. The researchers did not analyze the fossil for ancient DNA because it was not well preserved in the type of soil found in the cave and in the tropics.
Neanderthals and Denisovans lived in this cave.
The group that includes humans, our ancestors and our closest evolutionary relatives found that the internal and external 3D structure of this tooth resembled that of Neanderthals. The tooth was different from that of modern humans and Homo erectus, the first known human species to use stone tools. Although the scientists could not exclude it as belonging to a Neanderthal, they suggested that it was likely Denisovan.
The tooth indicates that Denisovans were in Southeast Asia, which is significant for understanding their range.
Even if this is not Denisovan, any new human fossil from an area where few ancient human fossils have been unearthed so far, such as Laos, is important, especially if it is a non-sapiens fossil.
Bailey said that he thought it was a good study and the conclusions were strong.
Neanderthals lived in Europe and western Asia at the same time as Denisovans in eastern Asia.
The findings suggest other fossils in Asia need to be reanalyzed.
When it comes to future research, I am curious about how the tooth got into the cave and whether there is any human activity in the cave. Bence Viola, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Toronto, was not a part of this.
The scientists detailed their findings in a journal.
It was originally published on Live Science.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
