Studying ancient humans and our pre-human ancestors is an important and interesting field. One of the key areas of our history involves a human species known as Denisovans, which are known to have had intercourse with both homo sapiens and Neanderthals, revealing a key link. Modern DNA studies have shown Denisovan DNA in m any people throughout Asia, which is where they largely lived.

This was first identified in 2010 from bones that were discovered in Denisova Cave, which is in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. The interbreeding between homo sapiens and Denisovans took place tens of thousands of years ago.

Recently, an ancient jawbone was dredged up from the Taiwan Strait at a depth of around 60-120 meters (197-394 feet). The fisherman who found the fossilized bone turned it in to the experts, who have been studying it since.

This is one of a very few number of Denisovan fossils ever found, which makes it very valuable for researchers. The team who studied it published a paper on their findings, which is in the journal Science.

When working with this type of fossil, it is very difficult to extra viable DNA. Fortunately, the authors of the study were able to use something called paleo proteomic techniques to look at the proteins located in the bone as well as the enamel of the teeth.

This helped them to find 4241 amino acid residues. Two of those were determined to be Denisovan-specific.

The author of the study, Dr. Frido Welker, talked to IFLScience about their findings, where he said:

“When we think about the environments and climates [where Denisovan fossils have been found], we have the Altai Mountains, the Tibetan plateau and vastly warmer and more humid environment that was present in the Taiwan Strait, which at the time was mainland East Asia. This signals a huge ability to adapt to very different environmental conditions, and survive in all those places.”

Adaptability is a key trait of humans and our ancestors. It has allowed us to settle in regions around the globe like no other animal before.

The mandible that was found was compared to another mandible that had previously been collected, which allows for more accurate data collection since there are two fossils to look at. Welker talked about what they found:

“Denisovan mandibles were, for sure, very robust, had very big teeth, and this is true for both the mandibles that we have now. And what I think is exciting in this particular study is that we have studied the dental enamel of the teeth as well, and from that, we can deduce that this individual is a male individual. Of course, in some great ape species, but also in some extinct hominid species, there’s a big dimorphism between male and female individuals, including morphological traits. So we don’t know if this robustness is a Denisovan trait or a male Denisovan trait. This is something that requires further fossil evidence.”

Collecting more fossils is, of course, a big challenge since it is impossible to know where to look. Sometimes, the fossils are found by chance, as was the case with this fossil found by the fisherman. Over time, however, it is likely that more and more fossils will be discovered, which will help researchers to piece together the story that they can tell.

With the help of researchers, this jawbone can once again tell a story.

If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.