兰州大学张东菊课题组和丹麦哥本哈根大学Jian, Fagernas团队合作报道了白石崖溶洞中晚更新世丹尼索瓦人遗址的证据。相关论文于2024年7月3日发表在《自然》杂志上。

研究人员综合了青藏高原白石崖溶洞中更新世晚期至晚更新世动物群的动物考古学和蛋白质组学分析结果，发现了丹尼索瓦人的下颌骨和丹尼索瓦人的沉积线粒体DNA。利用动物考古学的质谱分析手段，研究人员确定了一个新的古人类肋骨标本，其历史可以追溯到大约48-32万年前(第三层)。鸟枪蛋白质组学分析将该标本归入丹尼索瓦人谱系，将其在白石崖溶洞的存在延伸至晚更新世。

在整个地层层序中，动物组合以山羊亚科为主，并伴有大型食草动物、食肉动物、小型哺乳动物和鸟类。骨骼表面的高比例人为修饰表明，丹尼索瓦人是动物聚集的主要因素。chaine opératoire动物尸体的加工表明，动物分类群的肉、骨髓和兽皮被利用，而骨头也被主题为生产工具的原材料。研究结果揭示了丹尼索瓦人的行为，以及他们对欧亚大陆东部中更新世晚期和晚更新世的多样化和波动环境的适应。

据介绍，遗传学和碎片的古人类学数据表明，丹尼索瓦人曾经广泛分布在欧亚东部。尽管考古证据有限，但这表明丹尼索瓦人能够适应高度多样化的环境。

附：英文原文

Title: Middle and Late Pleistocene Denisovan subsistence at Baishiya Karst Cave

Author: Xia, Huan, Zhang, Dongju, Wang, Jian, Fagernas, Zandra, Li, Ting, Li, Yuanxin, Yao, Juanting, Lin, Dongpeng, Troch, Gaudry, Smith, Geoff M., Chen, Xiaoshan, Cheng, Ting, Shen, Xuke, Han, Yuanyuan, Olsen, Jesper V., Shen, Zhongwei, Pei, Zhiqi, Hublin, Jean-Jacques, Chen, Fahu, Welker, Frido

Issue&Volume: 2024-07-03

Abstract: Genetic and fragmented palaeoanthropological data suggest that Denisovans were once widely distributed across eastern Eurasia. 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 found. 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 chaine 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.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07612-9

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07612-9