Ancient Tooth Once Belonged to The Mysterious Denisovans, Scientists Think

Deep in the forests of Laos, in a cave in the Annamite Mountains, lay a single child's tooth. That tooth – an unassuming molar - could be from a mysterious species of human we know little about, and of which few remains are known to exist.

"Analyses of the internal structure of the molar in tandem with palaeoproteomic analyses of the enamel indicate that the tooth derives from a young, likely female, Homo individual," researchers write in a new study.

The tooth, from the Tam Ngu Hao 2 cave, "most likely represents a Denisovan", the researchers say.

Denisovans are an extinct species of human first discovered when an analysis of a child's finger bone found in a Siberian cave in 2008 was determined to not be a fit for any known human species.

From what we can tell from specimens dated almost all the way back to 200,000 years ago, Denisovans share close genetic similarities with Neanderthals.

However, finding specimens has been incredibly slim pickings. Six fossilized teeth and bones have been discovered in the same Siberian cave, while one partial mandible has been found in a cave in China.

So, the discovery of a potential Denisovan tooth from Laos – far south of the caves of Siberia or China – is extremely exciting for researchers.

"The tooth from Tam Ngu Hao 2 Cave in Laos thus provides direct evidence of a most likely Denisovan female individual with associated fauna in mainland Southeast Asia by 164-131 thousand years ago," the team writes in their new paper.

"This discovery further attests that this region was a hotspot of diversity for the genus Homo, with the presence of at least five late Middle to Late Pleistocene species: H. erectus, Denisovans/Neanderthals, H. floresiensis, H. luzonensis and H. sapiens."

Because the molar only recently completed development (at the time of the individual's death), and showed no signs of being worn, the team believes that the tooth is from a child between 3.5 to 8.5 years old when they died. Using sediment from around the tooth, they dated the tooth to between 164 to 131 thousand years old.

Unfortunately, when it comes to ancient single teeth, it's not easy to confirm that it's definitely Denisovans. The team wasn't able to sample for ancient DNA due to the age of the specimen, in part because of the tropical conditions that likely destroyed any trace of DNA many thousands of years ago.

But by analyzing proteins in the tooth alongside its morphology, the team are pretty sure it's Denisovan, although it could also be from a Neanderthal. We'll need more analysis to confirm one way or the other.

"The differences from Neanderthals that we observe do not preclude [the tooth] TNH2-1 from belonging to this taxon and would make it the south-eastern-most Neanderthal fossil ever discovered," the team writes.

"However, considering the morphological particularities of TNH2-1 in unison, as well as the high-degree of morphodimensional similarities with the molars of the Denisovan specimen from [the Chinese cave] Xiahe, the most parsimonious hypothesis is that TNH2-1 belongs to this sister group of Neanderthals."

Recently I've read that there are (or were) at least two distinct branches of the Denisovian family.

Here:

Ancient DNA Reveals New Branches Of The Denisovan Family Tree

Yes, but what were "her" pronouns??? /sarc

To,tell,the tooth I was wondering if it was the whole tooth or not.

I wonder if they lost it on Toothday? (They used to lisp a lot back,then)

If they cannot tell what is a woman and what is a man, and cannot admit that the different races have slightly different physiology, how do they know this tooth is from a different species of mankind? “Woke” crap is really destroying science.

This should help with *filling* in the overall picture. /rimshot

The Neandertal Enigma
by James Shreeve
in local libraries
"Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]

Denisovan/s keywords, sorted, duplicates out:

Tooth of an Ancient Girl Fills Gap in Human Family Tree [05/18/2022]
Artificial Intelligence Has Found an Unknown 'Ghost' Ancestor in The Human Genome [11/04/2021]
One Living People Today Show More Traces of The Mysterious Denisovans Than Any Others [08/23/2021]
Neandertal and Denisovan blood groups deciphered [08/08/2021]
Just 7% Of Our DNA Is Unique To Modern Humans, Study Shows [07/17/2021]
Giant Skulls Discovered: They Refuse to Believe the Truth Even When It Is Right in Front of Their Eyes [06/29/2021]
New Evidence in Search for the Mysterious Denisovans [04/05/2021]
Scientists Sequence Y Chromosome DNA of Denisovans and Neanderthals [09/27/2020]
DNA from Denisovans can be found in humans today: DNA from an unknown ancient ancestor of humans that once bred with Denisovans still exists among people today, study reveals [08/07/2020]
John Hawks - Who were the ancestors of the Neanderthals? [08/02/2020]
Researchers Sequence Genome of Neanderthal Woman from Chagyrskaya Cave [06/21/2020]
Humans and Neanderthals: less different than polar and brown bears [06/12/2020]
Neandertals had older mothers and younger fathers [04/25/2020]
A study refutes the similarities between the teeth of Denisovans and modern Asians [01/01/2020]
Southeast Asia was crowded with archaic human groups long before we turned up [07/28/2019]
Denisovans, A Mysterious Form Of Ancient Humans, Are Traced to Tibet [05/01/2019]
The first known fossil of a Denisovan skull has been found in a Siberian cave [04/08/2019]
Extinct human species lived together in Siberian cave, new research shows [02/16/2019]
50,000 year old tiara made of woolly mammoth ivory found in world famous Denisova Cave [01/20/2019]
‘Denisova 11’ Had Neanderthal Mother and Denisovan Father [08/27/2018]
This ancient bone belonged to a child of two extinct human species [Denisovan, Neandertal] [08/23/2018]
Cave girl was half Neanderthal, half Denisovan [08/22/2018]
No evidence of 'hobbit' ancestry in genomes of Flores Island pygmies [08/06/2018]
Homo sapiens developed a new ecological niche that separated it from other hominins [07/30/2018]
A New Batch of Neanderthal Genome Provides Insights Into Their Complex History [03/26/2018]
Modern humans interbred with Denisovans twice in history [03/16/2018]
No Volcanic Winter In East Africa From Ancient Toba (Super-Volcano) Eruption [02/13/2018]
Is this stunning bracelet made by Paleolithic man for his favourite woman really 70,000 years old? [08/04/2017]
New DNA From A Neanderthal Bone Reveals Evidence Of A Lost Tribe Of Humans [07/05/2017]
Neanderthals In California? Maybe So, Provocative Study Says (Denisovians?) [04/27/2017]
New DNA Study Shows Humans Bred With Unknown Species [01/31/2017]
Neanderthal Bone Fragment Identified in Denisova Cave [04/02/2016]
Site in Germany yields human presence over 1 million years ago [03/25/2016]
A golden age of ancient DNA science begins [03/25/2016]
400,000-year-old fossils from Spain provide earliest genetic evidence of Neandertals [03/20/2016]
Ancient Denisovan DNA excavated in modern Pacific Islanders [03/20/2016]
Neanderthals boosted our immune system [01/07/2016]
Latest study suggests early human dispersal into Spain through Strait of Gibraltar [01/02/2016]
Mysterious 14,000-year-old leg bone may belong to archaic human species [12/20/2015]
Ancient human ancestor may have persisted through Ice Age [12/17/2015]
Thigh bone points to unexpectedly long survival of ancient human ancestors [12/17/2015]
Prehistoric tooth reveals surprising details about long-lost human 'cousins' [11/18/2015]
DNA from Neandertal relative may shake up human family tree [09/13/2015]
Stone bracelet is oldest ever found in the world [Denisovan, 40K ago] [05/09/2015]
Fossil Found In Asia Could Be A New Species Of Human [01/28/2015]
The Case of the Missing Ancestor: DNA from Russia adds a mysterious new member to the human family [07/04/2014]
Tibetans get high-altitude edge from extinct Denisovans' genes [07/03/2014]
Baffling 400,000-Year-Old Clue to Human Origins [12/05/2013]
Ancient Humans Had Sex With A Mystery Species (Not Neanderthals Or Denisovans) [12/05/2013]
At 400,000 Years, Oldest Human DNA Yet Found Raises New Mysteries [12/04/2013]
'Asian Neanderthals' may have occupied Australia [10/22/2013]
Ancient Humans Crossed Ocean Barrier? [10/19/2013]
Modern Humans in India Earlier Than Previously Thought? [09/15/2013]
Ancient Siberians may have rarely hunted mammoths [06/15/2013]
Archaeogenetic research refutes earlier findings [06/13/2013]
Modern Y-Chromosome Variation Surpasses Archaic Humans (article) [05/07/2013]
Toba super-volcano catastrophe idea 'dismissed' [05/02/2013]
Researchers Publish Improved Neanderthal Genome [03/19/2013]
Ancient Mariners: Did Neanderthals Sail to Mediterranean? [11/24/2012]
Anthropologist suggests Mediterranean islands inhabited much earlier than thought [11/16/2012]
DNA Unveils Enigmatic Denisovans [09/29/2012]
How our DNA differs from that of Denisovans, our extinct cousins [09/01/2012]
Mysterious Chinese Fossils May Be New Human Species [03/14/2012]
Neanderthals were ancient mariners [03/02/2012]
Modern Humans Interbred with Archaic Humans in East Asia, Study Says [11/08/2011]
Many roads lead to Asia (Denisovans, migrations, etc.) [09/26/2011]
Neanderthal sex boosted immunity in modern humans [08/26/2011]
Stone Age toe could redraw human family tree [08/12/2011]
Mating with Neanderthals Good for Human Health [06/17/2011]
Cretan tools point to 130,000-year-old sea travel [01/03/2011]
Scientists say new human relative roamed widely in Asia [12/25/2010]
Genome of extinct Siberian cave-dweller linked to modern-day humans [12/23/2010]
Ancient humans, dubbed 'Denisovans', interbred with us [12/22/2010]
DNA says new human relative roamed widely in Asia [12/22/2010]
Is the Mysterious Siberian “X-Woman” a New Hominid Species? [03/25/2010]
Gene research reveals fourth human species [03/24/2010]
Possible new human ancestor found in SiberiaPossible new human ancestor found in Siberia [03/24/2010]
DNA identifies new ancient human dubbed 'X-woman' [03/24/2010]
New ancestor? Scientists ponder DNA from Siberia [03/24/2010]
'Pompeii-Like' Excavations Tell Us More About Toba Super-Eruption [03/04/2010]
On Crete, New Evidence of Very Ancient Mariners [02/17/2010]
Ancient hominids may have been seafarers [01/14/2010]
Super-Eruption: No Problem (Toba) [07/06/2007]

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