# Scientists Unearth Denisovan Fossils and Tools in Chinese Cave
Researchers have uncovered seven Denisovan fossils along with more than 1,300 stone and bone tools in a cave in southwestern China., offering new insights into these enigmatic early humans. The discovery marks a departure from the scarcity of Denisovan remains that has characterized research since the group was first identified in 2010.
The team sifted through more than 60,000 bone fragments recovered from the cave, sorting pieces according to shape to identify which ones probably belonged to hominins. They then used a protein-analysis technique to pinpoint which pieces came from Denisovans. This painstaking process yielded two skull fragments, four teeth, and part of a forearm bone from at least four Denisovan individuals.
The findings represent a notable expansion of the Denisovan fossil record. Since the initial 2010 discovery of a finger bone in Denisova Cave in Siberia revealed a previously unknown human relative, relatively few Denisovan fossils have been found, and never a near-complete skeleton. In contrast, scientists have uncovered thousands of remains that belonged to Neanderthals.
The forearm fragment is particularly significant as the first of this bone ever found belonging to a Denisovan. According to Qiaomei Fu, a paleogeneticist at the Chinese Academy of Science's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology who co-authored both studies published September 9 in the journal Nature, the bone shares some similarities with arm bones of Neanderthals, but its overall shape differs in other respects.. It "likely provided functional advantages for lightweight, precise manipulation," Fu said.
While the fossils' ancient amino acids that make up proteins were preserved, their DNA—which is more delicate—was not.
Beyond the fossils themselves, the site contained more than 1,300 stone and bone tools. remove this sentence Since researchers did not see evidence of any other hominins in the area, they suspect Denisovans crafted the tools. According to Hao Li, an archaeologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research who co-authored one of the studies, the tools were probably constructed quickly to be a "flexible adaptation."
The cave environment and its inhabitants' behavior also came into focus through the research. Pollen samples suggest that the cave was surrounded by a conifer forest, or a similar habitat. Cut marks and fracture patterns on recovered animal bones, which belonged to creatures like deer and water buffalo, indicate these cave dwellers hunted and consumed large prey, which would have required a "very skillful hunting strategy," Li said.
The discovery broadens the extinct species' known range, as Bianfu Cave provides the first direct evidence of Denisovans in southwestern China. Shara Bailey, a biological anthropologist at New York University who did not participate in the research, noted that the site offers an unprecedented look at "how Denisovans actually lived on the landscape." She added that "Denisovans are becoming a bit less mysterious."
**Sources:**
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-find-a-trove-of-denisovan-fossils-and-tools-in-southwest-china-giving-an-unprecendented-glimpse-into-our-extinct-cousins-lives-180989483/