Middle and Late Pleistocene Denisovan subsistence at Baishiya Karst Cave

Huan Xia, Dongju Zhang (), Jian Wang, Zandra Fagernäs, Ting Li, Yuanxin Li, Juanting Yao, Dongpeng Lin, Gaudry Troché, Geoff M. Smith, Xiaoshan Chen, Ting Cheng, Xuke Shen, Yuanyuan Han, Jesper V. Olsen, Zhongwei Shen, Zhiqi Pei, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Fahu Chen () and Frido Welker ()
Additional contact information
Huan Xia: Lanzhou University
Dongju Zhang: Lanzhou University
Jian Wang: Lanzhou University
Zandra Fagernäs: University of Copenhagen
Ting Li: Lanzhou University
Yuanxin Li: Lanzhou University
Juanting Yao: Lanzhou University
Dongpeng Lin: Lanzhou University
Gaudry Troché: University of Copenhagen
Geoff M. Smith: University of Kent
Xiaoshan Chen: Lanzhou University
Ting Cheng: Lanzhou University
Xuke Shen: Lanzhou University
Yuanyuan Han: Lanzhou University
Jesper V. Olsen: University of Copenhagen
Zhongwei Shen: Lanzhou University
Zhiqi Pei: Lanzhou University
Jean-Jacques Hublin: Collège de France, Université PSL, CNRS
Fahu Chen: Lanzhou University
Frido Welker: University of Copenhagen

Nature, 2024, vol. 632, issue 8023, 108-113

Abstract: Abstract Genetic and fragmented palaeoanthropological data suggest that Denisovans were once widely distributed across eastern Eurasia1–3. Despite limited archaeological evidence, this indicates that Denisovans were capable of adapting to a highly diverse range of environments. Here we integrate zooarchaeological and proteomic analyses of the late Middle to Late Pleistocene faunal assemblage from Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau, where a Denisovan mandible and Denisovan sedimentary mitochondrial DNA were found3,4. Using zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry, we identify a new hominin rib specimen that dates to approximately 48–32 thousand years ago (layer 3). Shotgun proteomic analysis taxonomically assigns this specimen to the Denisovan lineage, extending their presence at Baishiya Karst Cave well into the Late Pleistocene. Throughout the stratigraphic sequence, the faunal assemblage is dominated by Caprinae, together with megaherbivores, carnivores, small mammals and birds. The high proportion of anthropogenic modifications on the bone surfaces suggests that Denisovans were the primary agent of faunal accumulation. The chaîne opératoire of carcass processing indicates that animal taxa were exploited for their meat, marrow and hides, while bone was also used as raw material for the production of tools. Our results shed light on the behaviour of Denisovans and their adaptations to the diverse and fluctuating environments of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene of eastern Eurasia.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07612-9

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