According to researchers publishing in the journal Nature, a newly examined fossil site in southwestern China provides a continuous, detailed record of Denisovan behavior and stone-tool technology spanning at least 30,000 to possibly 120,000 years. The findings offer unprecedented insight into the mysterious archaic human species, revealing advanced hunting practices and bone-working skills comparable to those of Neanderthals.
Excavating Bianfu Cave in Yunnan Province
Workers initially discovered bones and stone tools in 2019 during an ecological restoration project at an abandoned quarry in China’s Yunnan Province. Scientists subsequently excavated thousands of objects from Bianfu Cave, a cavern located within the quarry. According to palaeogeneticist Qiaomei Fu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, protein fragment analysis identified five of the recovered bone pieces as Denisovan. These specific remains include two curved skull wedges, a lower arm bone portion, and two teeth.
Did you know? Ancient proteins are significantly more durable than ancient DNA, making them the most reliable medium for identifying fragmentary Denisovan remains in sediment layers.
Chronology and Geographic Significance of the Finds
Protein analysis conducted by Qiaomei Fu’s team revealed that the Denisovan fossils at Bianfu Cave were deposited across two distinct sediment layers. According to researchers, this stratification indicates that the archaic population inhabited the region consistently between 167,000 and 134,000 years ago. This southwestern location sits geographically closer to regions where Denisovans and modern humans likely intermingled, such as the ancestral populations of modern Papua New Guinea residents who retain high percentages of Denisovan DNA.
Denisovan Hunting and Tool Technologies
Artifacts recovered from Bianfu Cave demonstrate that Denisovans manufactured bone tools remarkably similar to those crafted by Neanderthals. Evidence from the site shows these ancient humans hunted animals including deer with high proficiency. Ben Marwick, an archaeologist at the University of Washington in Seattle who was not involved in the study, describes the location as “the full package,” noting it represents the first site with a long, rich sequence uniquely associated with Denisovans.
Expanding the Denisovan Fossil Record
Scientists first identified Denisovans in 2010 after sequencing DNA from a Siberian finger bone found in Denisova Cave. Subsequent discoveries expanded their known territory southward and eastward through jawbones recovered from the Tibetan Plateau and dredged sediments from the Taiwan Strait. In 2025, researchers confirmed that a skull discovered near Harbin in northeastern China also belonged to a Denisovan, finally putting a physical face to the extinct lineage. Among these finds, the Bianfu Cave arm bone—specifically a radius—remains one of the few known Denisovan skeletal elements originating from below the head.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Denisovans?
Denisovans are an extinct species or lineage of archaic humans closely related to Neanderthals, first identified through genetic sequencing in 2010.
Where was the Bianfu Cave site discovered?
Bianfu Cave is located within an abandoned quarry in Yunnan Province in southwestern China.
How old are the Denisovan fossils found at Bianfu Cave?
According to researchers, the fossils indicate habitation of the region between 167,000 and 134,000 years ago.
What tools did Denisovans make at this site?
Evidence shows Denisovans crafted bone tools comparable to those made by Neanderthals and engaged in skilled deer hunting.
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