Researchers have discovered the first-ever fossil of a Denisovan forearm bone at Bianfu Cave in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. Dating back 134,000 to 167,000 years, the find offers fresh physical evidence into how these ancient human relatives moved, behaved, and survived in cold environments.
A newly identified Denisovan forearm bone recovered from a cave in southwest China is giving researchers a rare glimpse at the physical traits and daily lives of one of human evolution’s most elusive groups. The new study, led by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with multiple institutions, was published in the journal Nature. The discovery marks the first time a Denisovan radius has been found in the region, helping fill major geographical gaps in how these ancient hominins spread across Asia.
Unearthing Ancient Bones at Bianfu Cave in Yunnan
The excavation took place at Bianfu Cave, a Paleolithic site located in China’s Yunnan Province. Scientists recovered the radius alongside other Denisovan remains from a sediment layer dated between 134,000 and 167,000 years ago.
Denisovans are an extinct group of early humans who were first identified through DNA extracted from a tiny finger bone found in a Siberian cave in 2010. Since then, scientists have realized that Denisovans were once widespread across Asia, but physical remains have been extremely rare. Most discoveries have been limited to teeth and a few skull fragments. The Bianfu Cave site changes that dynamic by yielding multiple specimens from different stratigraphic layers, including two skull fragments alongside the lower arm bone.
Protein Analysis Solves a Massive Sorting Challenge
Finding human fossils among tens of thousands of animal bones required an innovative screening strategy. The research team used a two-step method to find the rare fossils among more than 60,000 bone fragments collected from the cave. Instead of testing every piece, which would have been too costly and time-consuming, they first sorted the fragments by shape and then used a protein-analysis technique to confirm which ones came from ancient humans. This approach proved highly effective.
That meticulous screening allowed the team to identify three Denisovan specimens from two different layers, extending human fossils beyond a single younger layer and including two skull fragments and a forearm bone. The forearm bone is the most exciting element of the discovery.
Unique Skeletal Traits Set Denisovans Apart
The newly recovered forearm bone features a fascinating mix of characteristics. While it shares some features with arm bones from Neanderthals — close relatives of modern humans, such as a large upper joint, its overall shape and the geometry of its neck region are more similar to those of modern humans.
"This combination of traits suggests that Denisovans probably had unique movement patterns and behaviors that set them apart from both Neanderthals and our own species," said Fu Qiaomei, a professor from the IVPP.
Each new fossil adds a new piece to the puzzle of human evolution, said the study.
Survival in a Cold Pleistocene Climate
The discovery also confirms that Bianfu Cave was home to a thriving Denisovan population during a particularly cold period in Earth’s history. The relatively warm climate of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau at that time, along with plentiful food, likely made the area a safe haven where these ancient people could survive for thousands of years, Fu said.
Before this study, the only rich source of Denisovan fossils with clear stratigraphic context and stone tools recovered outside Siberia was a cave on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The finds at Bianfu Cave now fill a major geographical gap. The researchers believe that the region may have been a long-term habitat for these ancient human groups, helping them endure harsh climatic changes. The discovery of the forearm bone is especially exciting because it gives scientists a rare glimpse into the physical traits that allowed Denisovans to thrive in diverse environments across Asia.
