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Denisovan fossil from Taiwan gives clue to mysterious ancient humans

A fossil jawbone found by fishers in the Taiwan Strait has extended the known range of ancient Denisovan people thousands of kilometres to the east

By James Woodford

10 April 2025

Illustration of a Denisovan male from ancient Taiwan
Cheng-Han Sun

A fossil found by fishers in Taiwan has been identified as a jawbone from the mysterious Denisovan group of ancient humans.

Denisovans were first described in 2010 from a fossil fingerbone found in Denisova cave in the Altai mountains, Russia. Although few fossils have been found, traces of their DNA still exist in some modern humans, indicating they were widespread in East Asia.

Read more

The other humans: The emerging story of the mysterious Denisovans

The newly identified fossil mandible was recovered from the Penghu Channel by commercial fishers while…

Article amended on 14 April 2025

We amended Kira Westaway’s comments on the dating of the fossil.

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