Ancient proteins identify various Denisovan remains from Southwest China

peer-reviewed · Nature · 2026

peer-reviewed · Nature · 2026. Huiyun Rao et al. More than a decade of multidisciplinary research has identified a collection of cranial, facial and dental…
Date 2026-09-09
Type peer-reviewed
Venue Nature
Publisher Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Contribution downstream-application
DOI 10.1038/s41586-026-10976-9
Citations (OpenAlex) 2
Venue 2-year citedness 18.93

Abstract

More than a decade of multidisciplinary research has identified a collection of cranial, facial and dental remains of Denisovans from across Asia, providing insight into their cranial capacity, appearance, diet and evolutionary history. However, our understanding of their spatiotemporal dispersal and morphological phenotype is limited by a conspicuous distribution gap in Southwest China and the scarcity of postcranial remains, in particular, the absence of long bones with diagnostic characteristics. To identify further hominin long bones, we morphologically screened more than 60,000 bone fragments from Bianfu Cave in Southwest China, of which 76 were selected for zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry and 17 for proteomic sequencing analysis. These analyses identified three hominin fossils, comprising two parietal bone fragments and one proximal radial fragment, from layers dated to approximately 167-134 thousand years ago 1 . Subsequent proteomic analysis confirmed the taxonomic affiliation of these newly identified hominin bones, as well as that of two hominin teeth discovered during the excavation, as Denisovan. These findings establish Bianfu Cave as a Denisovan locality yielding the most abundant remains of this hominin group outside Denisova Cave in Siberia. The results also fill a critical geographic gap in the documented distribution of Denisovans and refine our understanding of their evolutionary history. Furthermore, this study provides direct information on the radial morphology of Denisovans, providing insight into their postcranial phenotype.

Authors

  1. Huiyun Rao · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  2. Song Xing · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  3. Qijun Ruan · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Yunnan Archaeology
  4. Fan Bai · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  5. Yuhao Zhao · Peking University
  6. Zhongyou Wu · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  7. Siyuan Tang · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  8. E. Andrew Bennett · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  9. Xiaotian Feng · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  10. Sungui Lin · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  11. Qingfeng Shao · Nanjing Normal University
  12. Xiong Yang · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  13. Zitao Li
  14. Kai Zhou · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  15. Feng Liu (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology) · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  16. Qiaomei Fu · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Methods and tools

  • Bianfu Cave Denisovan proteome: Palaeoproteomic sequencing of bone and tooth proteins from Bianfu Cave in Southwest China, combining PEAKS de novo and homology searches, that assigns three bone fragments and two teeth to Denisovans.

Methods it uses

  • PEAKS: Commercial DP-based de novo
  • SPIDER: Protein identification from sequence tags while accounting for de novo sequencing error.

Data deposited

  • Ancient proteins identify various Denisovan remains from Southwest China — as deposited · PXD073112

Cites (6)

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