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    Protein analysis identifies a jawbone dredged from Taiwan’s Penghu Channel as Denisovan

    Science reports an amateur fossil hunter bought the jawbone in Tainan in 2008 and later donated it to a museum.

    News from ScienceNF
    1 Source, 1h ago, first seen 1h ago

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    Science reports that fishermen dredged up the jawbone from the Penghu Channel before amateur fossil hunter Kun-Yu Tsai spotted it while shopping for antiques in Tainan in 2008. He bought it and later donated it to Taiwan’s National Museum of Natural Science. An analysis of ancient proteins in the fossil, published in 2025, identified it as belonging to a Denisovan, a close relative of Neanderthals.

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    Combined views

    2K

    1 Source, first seen 1h ago

    25 likes4 saves9 reposts
    Fossil jawbone reveals mysterious Denisovans lived in ancient Taiwan
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    News from Science@NewsfromScienceIn 2008, Kun-Yu Tsai was shopping for antiques in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City when an unusual relic caught his eye: a brownish jawbone with blackened, thickset teeth that fishermen had dredged up from the nearby Penghu Channel. An amateur fossil hunter, Kun-Yu recognized the mysterious jawbone as human—but noticed it was distinct from modern mandibles. Intrigued, he bought the fossil and later donated it to Taiwan’s National Museum of Natural Science. Nearly 2 decades later, scientists finally know what kind of human the mysterious jawbone came from. An analysis of ancient proteins preserved within the fossil, published last year, pegs the jawbone as belonging to a Denisovan, a close cousin of Neanderthals that lived from roughly 400,000 years to 30,000 years ago. Learn more on #NationalFossilDay: https://scim.ag/4hLZwdM1h
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    News from Science@NewsfromScienceIn 2008, Kun-Yu Tsai was shopping for antiques in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City when an unusual relic caught his eye: a brownish jawbone with blackened, thickset teeth that fishermen had dredged up from the nearby Penghu Channel. An amateur fossil hunter, Kun-Yu recognized the mysterious jawbone as human—but noticed it was distinct from modern mandibles. Intrigued, he bought the fossil and later donated it to Taiwan’s National Museum of Natural Science. Nearly 2 decades later, scientists finally know what kind of human the mysterious jawbone came from. An analysis of ancient proteins preserved within the fossil, published last year, pegs the jawbone as belonging to a Denisovan, a close cousin of Neanderthals that lived from roughly 400,000 years to 30,000 years ago. Learn more on #NationalFossilDay: https://scim.ag/4hLZwdM1h
    Today's Rank

    #19

    Today's Rank

    #19