A Middle Pleistocene Denisovan molar from the Annamite Chain of northern Laos

Fabrice Demeter (), Clément Zanolli (), Kira E. Westaway, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Philippe Duringer, Mike W. Morley, Frido Welker, Patrick L. Rüther, Matthew M. Skinner, Hugh McColl, Charleen Gaunitz, Lasse Vinner, Tyler E. Dunn, Jesper V. Olsen, Martin Sikora, Jean-Luc Ponche, Eric Suzzoni, Sébastien Frangeul, Quentin Boesch, Pierre-Olivier Antoine, Lei Pan, Song Xing, Jian-Xin Zhao, Richard M. Bailey, Souliphane Boualaphane, Phonephanh Sichanthongtip, Daovee Sihanam, Elise Patole-Edoumba, Françoise Aubaile, Françoise Crozier, Nicolas Bourgon, Alexandra Zachwieja, Thonglith Luangkhoth, Viengkeo Souksavatdy, Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy, Enrico Cappellini, Anne-Marie Bacon, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Eske Willerslev and Laura Shackelford ()
Additional contact information
Fabrice Demeter: Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
Clément Zanolli: Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199
Kira E. Westaway: Macquarie University
Renaud Joannes-Boyau: Southern Cross University
Philippe Duringer: Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg (IPGS), UMR 7516 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg
Mike W. Morley: Flinders University
Frido Welker: University of Copenhagen
Patrick L. Rüther: University of Copenhagen
Matthew M. Skinner: University of Kent
Hugh McColl: Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
Charleen Gaunitz: Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
Lasse Vinner: Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
Tyler E. Dunn: Creighton University School of Medicine
Jesper V. Olsen: University of Copenhagen
Martin Sikora: Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
Jean-Luc Ponche: Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire Image, Ville Environnement, UMR 7362, UdS CNRS
Eric Suzzoni: Spitteurs Pan, Technical Cave Supervision and Exploration
Sébastien Frangeul: Spitteurs Pan, Technical Cave Supervision and Exploration
Quentin Boesch: Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg (IPGS), UMR 7516 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg
Pierre-Olivier Antoine: Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD
Lei Pan: Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology CAS
Song Xing: Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology CAS
Jian-Xin Zhao: University of Queensland
Richard M. Bailey: University of Oxford
Souliphane Boualaphane: Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Phonephanh Sichanthongtip: Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Daovee Sihanam: Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Elise Patole-Edoumba: Museum d’histoire Naturelle de La Rochelle
Françoise Aubaile: Université de Paris
Françoise Crozier: IRD, DIADE
Nicolas Bourgon: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Alexandra Zachwieja: University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth
Thonglith Luangkhoth: Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Viengkeo Souksavatdy: Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy: Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Enrico Cappellini: University of Copenhagen
Anne-Marie Bacon: Université de Paris, BABEL CNRS UMR
Jean-Jacques Hublin: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Eske Willerslev: Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
Laura Shackelford: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract The Pleistocene presence of the genus Homo in continental Southeast Asia is primarily evidenced by a sparse stone tool record and rare human remains. Here we report a Middle Pleistocene hominin specimen from Laos, with the discovery of a molar from the Tam Ngu Hao 2 (Cobra Cave) limestone cave in the Annamite Mountains. The age of the fossil-bearing breccia ranges between 164–131 kyr, based on the Bayesian modelling of luminescence dating of the sedimentary matrix from which it was recovered, U-series dating of an overlying flowstone, and U-series–ESR dating of associated faunal teeth. 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. The close morphological affinities with the Xiahe specimen from China indicate that they belong to the same taxon and that Tam Ngu Hao 2 most likely represents a Denisovan.

Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29923-z

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