Second, Denisovan morphology becomes clearer. At least male Denisovans had robust jaws and teeth, distinct from Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. As more molecularly identified Denisovan fossils are discovered, a clearer understanding of their morphological traits and evolutionary history is obtained.

The male Denisovan identity of Penghu provides two important insights. First, it confirms Denisovans inhabited warm and humid environments. This study closes the gap between genomic estimates (hotspots of interbreeding in SE Asia) and fossil occurrence (mostly northern Asia, like Siberia and Tibet).

#Paleoproteomics played a key role here. By thoroughly testing extraction strategies using Penghu faunal bones, we obtained a high-quality ancient proteome from Penghu 1 with minimal destruction. We detected multiple Denisovan-related variants and identified a male-specific isoform.

Visited GSSP of Chibanian in this winter holiday