Middle and Late Pleistocene Denisovan subsistence at Baishiya Karst Cave
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Middle and Late Pleistocene Denisovan subsistence at Baishiya Karst Cave. / Xia, Huan; Zhang, Dongju; Wang, Jian; Fagernäs, Zandra; Li, Ting; Li, Yuanxin; Yao, Juanting; Lin, Dongpeng; Troché, Gaudry; Smith, Geoff M.; Chen, Xiaoshan; Cheng, Ting; Shen, Xuke; Han, Yuanyuan; Olsen, Jesper V.; Shen, Zhongwei; Pei, Zhiqi; Hublin, Jean-Jacques; Chen, Fahu; Welker, Frido.
In: Nature, Vol. 632, No. 8023, 2024, p. 108–113.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Middle and Late Pleistocene Denisovan subsistence at Baishiya Karst Cave
AU - Xia, Huan
AU - Zhang, Dongju
AU - Wang, Jian
AU - Fagernäs, Zandra
AU - Li, Ting
AU - Li, Yuanxin
AU - Yao, Juanting
AU - Lin, Dongpeng
AU - Troché, Gaudry
AU - Smith, Geoff M.
AU - Chen, Xiaoshan
AU - Cheng, Ting
AU - Shen, Xuke
AU - Han, Yuanyuan
AU - Olsen, Jesper V.
AU - Shen, Zhongwei
AU - Pei, Zhiqi
AU - Hublin, Jean-Jacques
AU - Chen, Fahu
AU - Welker, Frido
N1 - © 2024. The Author(s).
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Genetic and fragmented palaeoanthropological data suggest that Denisovans were once widely distributed across eastern Eurasia1-3. Despite limited archaeological evidence, this indicates that Denisovans were capable of adapting to a highly diverse range of environments. Here we integrate zooarchaeological and proteomic analyses of the late Middle to Late Pleistocene faunal assemblage from Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau, where a Denisovan mandible and Denisovan sedimentary mitochondrial DNA were found3,4. Using zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry, we identify a new hominin rib specimen that dates to approximately 48-32 thousand years ago (layer 3). Shotgun proteomic analysis taxonomically assigns this specimen to the Denisovan lineage, extending their presence at Baishiya Karst Cave well into the Late Pleistocene. Throughout the stratigraphic sequence, the faunal assemblage is dominated by Caprinae, together with megaherbivores, carnivores, small mammals and birds. The high proportion of anthropogenic modifications on the bone surfaces suggests that Denisovans were the primary agent of faunal accumulation. The chaîne opératoire of carcass processing indicates that animal taxa were exploited for their meat, marrow and hides, while bone was also used as raw material for the production of tools. Our results shed light on the behaviour of Denisovans and their adaptations to the diverse and fluctuating environments of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene of eastern Eurasia.
AB - Genetic and fragmented palaeoanthropological data suggest that Denisovans were once widely distributed across eastern Eurasia1-3. Despite limited archaeological evidence, this indicates that Denisovans were capable of adapting to a highly diverse range of environments. Here we integrate zooarchaeological and proteomic analyses of the late Middle to Late Pleistocene faunal assemblage from Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau, where a Denisovan mandible and Denisovan sedimentary mitochondrial DNA were found3,4. Using zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry, we identify a new hominin rib specimen that dates to approximately 48-32 thousand years ago (layer 3). Shotgun proteomic analysis taxonomically assigns this specimen to the Denisovan lineage, extending their presence at Baishiya Karst Cave well into the Late Pleistocene. Throughout the stratigraphic sequence, the faunal assemblage is dominated by Caprinae, together with megaherbivores, carnivores, small mammals and birds. The high proportion of anthropogenic modifications on the bone surfaces suggests that Denisovans were the primary agent of faunal accumulation. The chaîne opératoire of carcass processing indicates that animal taxa were exploited for their meat, marrow and hides, while bone was also used as raw material for the production of tools. Our results shed light on the behaviour of Denisovans and their adaptations to the diverse and fluctuating environments of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene of eastern Eurasia.
U2 - 10.1038/s41586-024-07612-9
DO - 10.1038/s41586-024-07612-9
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38961285
VL - 632
SP - 108
EP - 113
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
SN - 0028-0836
IS - 8023
ER -
ID: 397723054