2026年9月9日，中国科学院青藏高原研究所陈发虎等科学家在《自然》（Nature）发表研究，揭示了中国西南丹尼索瓦人的生计策略。

日益增多的化石和基因组证据极大地增进了研究人员对丹尼索瓦人演化历史的理解，但其技术行为和生计策略仍鲜有记录。在此，研究人员对来自中国西南云南省蝙蝠洞的古人类化石和相关考古遗存进行了综合分析。古人类化石年代约为16.7万至13.4万年前，而文化序列跨度约为19万至7万年前，代表了最简约地归因于丹尼索瓦人的最长文化记录之一——通过釉质-牙本质交界形态和古蛋白质组学分析鉴定。新化石包括四颗牙齿，扩展了该群体已知的牙齿变异，还包括两件颅骨碎片和一件桡骨。动物群和孢粉记录表明，在海洋同位素阶段6至4期间，该地区为针叶树主导的森林或森林草原环境。蝙蝠洞居民专门狩猎中型到大型猎物，并采用以权宜石核剥片和工具生产为特征的技术策略，同时普遍使用未修饰的骨骼。这一模式表明一种优先利用物体可供性而非集约化工具制造的适应系统。蝙蝠洞为理解东亚丹尼索瓦人的生物学、行为和生态提供了前所未有的见解，并指向东南亚和大洋洲后续人群中的大量遗传和文化遗产。

附：英文原文

Title: Denisovans from southwestern China and their subsistence strategies

Author: Ruan, Qijun, Li, Hao, Xing, Song, Zhao, Keliang, Liu, Jianhui, Zanolli, Clment, Doyon, Luc, Delpiano, Davide, Peresani, Marco, dErrico, Francesco, Demeter, Fabrice, Hublin, Jean-Jacques, Xiao, Peiyuan, Wang, Yuqing, Jia, Zhenxiu, Yang, Qingjiang, Fu, Qiaomei, Sun, Qiyahui, Zhao, Yuhao, Lin, Sungui, Fan, Anchuan, Wang, Youping, Shao, Qingfeng, Li, Bo, Chen, Fahu

Issue&Volume: 2026-09-09

Abstract: Growing fossil and genomic evidence has substantially advanced our understanding of Denisovans’ evolutionary history1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, yet their technological behaviours and subsistence strategies remain poorly documented. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of hominin fossils and associated archaeological remains from Bianfu Cave, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The hominin fossils are dated to about 167–134 thousand years ago (ka), whereas the cultural sequence spanned from about 190ka to 70ka, representing one of the longest cultural records most parsimoniously attributed to Denisovans—identified through enamel–dentine junction morphology and palaeoproteomic analyses10. The new fossils include four teeth that expand the known dental variation of this group, two cranial fragments and a radius. Faunal and pollen records indicate a conifer-dominated forest or forest-steppe environment across Marine Isotope Stages 6 to 4. The inhabitants of Bianfu Cave practised specialized hunting of medium- to large-bodied prey and used a technological strategy characterized by expedient core reduction and tool production, alongside pervasive use of unmodified bones. This pattern suggests an adaptive system prioritizing the exploitation of object affordance over intensive tool manufacture. Bianfu Cave provides unprecedented insights into Denisovan biology, behaviour and ecology in eastern Asia and points to a substantial genetic and cultural legacy in later populations in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10997-4

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10997-4