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A late Middle Pleistocene Denisovan mandible from the Tibetan Plateau

Author

Listed:
  • Fahu Chen

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Lanzhou University)

  • Frido Welker

    (Lanzhou University
    Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
    University of Copenhagen)

  • Chuan-Chou Shen

    (National Taiwan University
    National Taiwan University)

  • Shara E. Bailey

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
    New York University)

  • Inga Bergmann

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Simon Davis

    (University of Oxford)

  • Huan Xia

    (Lanzhou University)

  • Hui Wang

    (Fudan University
    Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeological Research)

  • Roman Fischer

    (University of Oxford)

  • Sarah E. Freidline

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Tsai-Luen Yu

    (National Taiwan University
    National Taiwan University)

  • Matthew M. Skinner

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
    University of Kent)

  • Stefanie Stelzer

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
    Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences)

  • Guangrong Dong

    (Lanzhou University)

  • Qiaomei Fu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Guanghui Dong

    (Lanzhou University)

  • Jian Wang

    (Lanzhou University)

  • Dongju Zhang

    (Lanzhou University)

  • Jean-Jacques Hublin

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
    Chaire Internationale de Paléoanthropologie, Collège de France)

Abstract

Denisovans are members of a hominin group who are currently only known directly from fragmentary fossils, the genomes of which have been studied from a single site, Denisova Cave1–3 in Siberia. They are also known indirectly from their genetic legacy through gene flow into several low-altitude East Asian populations4,5 and high-altitude modern Tibetans6. The lack of morphologically informative Denisovan fossils hinders our ability to connect geographically and temporally dispersed fossil hominins from Asia and to understand in a coherent manner their relation to recent Asian populations. This includes understanding the genetic adaptation of humans to the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau7,8, which was inherited from the Denisovans. Here we report a Denisovan mandible, identified by ancient protein analysis9,10, found on the Tibetan Plateau in Baishiya Karst Cave, Xiahe, Gansu, China. We determine the mandible to be at least 160 thousand years old through U-series dating of an adhering carbonate matrix. The Xiahe specimen provides direct evidence of the Denisovans outside the Altai Mountains and its analysis unique insights into Denisovan mandibular and dental morphology. Our results indicate that archaic hominins occupied the Tibetan Plateau in the Middle Pleistocene epoch and successfully adapted to high-altitude hypoxic environments long before the regional arrival of modern Homo sapiens.

Suggested Citation

  • Fahu Chen & Frido Welker & Chuan-Chou Shen & Shara E. Bailey & Inga Bergmann & Simon Davis & Huan Xia & Hui Wang & Roman Fischer & Sarah E. Freidline & Tsai-Luen Yu & Matthew M. Skinner & Stefanie Ste, 2019. "A late Middle Pleistocene Denisovan mandible from the Tibetan Plateau," Nature, Nature, vol. 569(7756), pages 409-412, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:569:y:2019:i:7756:d:10.1038_s41586-019-1139-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1139-x
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sarah E. Freidline & Kira E. Westaway & Renaud Joannes-Boyau & Philippe Duringer & Jean-Luc Ponche & Mike W. Morley & Vito C. Hernandez & Meghan S. McAllister-Hayward & Hugh McColl & Clément Zanolli &, 2023. "Early presence of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia by 86–68 kyr at Tam Pà Ling, Northern Laos," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, December.
    2. Guangliang Hou & Weimiao Dong & Linhai Cai & Qingbo Wang & Menghan Qiu, 2021. "The History and Driving Force for Prehistoric Human Expansion Upward to the Hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau Post–Last Glacial Maximum," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Fabrice Demeter & Clément Zanolli & Kira E. Westaway & Renaud Joannes-Boyau & Philippe Duringer & Mike W. Morley & Frido Welker & Patrick L. Rüther & Matthew M. Skinner & Hugh McColl & Charleen Gaunit, 2022. "A Middle Pleistocene Denisovan molar from the Annamite Chain of northern Laos," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Li Wu & Shuguang Lu & Cheng Zhu & Chunmei Ma & Xiaoling Sun & Xiaoxue Li & Chenchen Li & Qingchun Guo, 2021. "Holocene Environmental Archaeology of the Yangtze River Valley in China: A Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-25, March.
    5. Zhenyu Qin & Xuefeng Sun, 2023. "Glacial–Interglacial Cycles and Early Human Evolution in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-26, August.
    6. Jinlong Shi & Zhilong Jia & Jinxiu Sun & Xiaoreng Wang & Xiaojing Zhao & Chenghui Zhao & Fan Liang & Xinyu Song & Jiawei Guan & Xue Jia & Jing Yang & Qi Chen & Kang Yu & Qian Jia & Jing Wu & Depeng Wa, 2023. "Structural variants involved in high-altitude adaptation detected using single-molecule long-read sequencing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    7. Chi-Chun Liu & David Witonsky & Anna Gosling & Ju Hyeon Lee & Harald Ringbauer & Richard Hagan & Nisha Patel & Raphaela Stahl & John Novembre & Mark Aldenderfer & Christina Warinner & Anna Di Rienzo &, 2022. "Ancient genomes from the Himalayas illuminate the genetic history of Tibetans and their Tibeto-Burman speaking neighbors," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.

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