Dental News - Mandible helps to uncover history of civilisations in Tibet

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 6. June 2019

save

LANZHOU, China: The journey that Homo sapiens has embarked on is something that has enthralled modern scientists for many centuries. Now, as technology continually improves, more understanding is being gained and new discoveries are coming to the surface. Recently, researchers revealed that a sister group of Neanderthals, the Denisovans, occupied the Tibetan Plateau long before Homo sapiens arrived in the region. This discovery was made through the analysis of a 160,000-year-old hominin mandible.

“Traces of Denisovan DNA are found in present-day Asian, Australian, and Melanesian populations, suggesting that these ancient hominins may have once been widespread,” said Prof. Jean-Jacques Hublin, Director of the Department of Human Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) in Leipzig in Germany and one of the paper’s co-authors. “Yet, so far, the only fossils representing this ancient hominin group were identified at Denisova Cave.”

In their study, the researchers examined a mandible that was found on the Tibetan Plateau in Baishiya Karst Cave in Xiahe County in China. The fossil, originally discovered in 1980 by a local monk, was eventually passed on to Lanzhou University, and in 2010, researchers Prof. Fahu Chen and Dr Dongju Zhang began studying the cave site where the fossil had been found

In 2016, Lanzhou University initiated a collaboration with the Department of Human Evolution at the MPI-EVA and since then they have been jointly analysing the fossil. According to the researchers, DNA was not able to be recovered from the mandible itself but rather from one of the molars, which they examined by means of ancient protein analysis. From that analysis, the team found that the mandible came from a member of a Denisovan group from Siberia—something that confirms Denisovans had already been living in the high-altitude setting significantly prior to the appearance of Homo sapiens.

With continued research and analysis planned for the future, the team now hope that the lower jaw can aid in piecing together the puzzle of what Denisovans looked like.

The study, titled “A late Middle Pleistocene Denisovan mandible from the Tibetan Plateau”, was published on 1 May 2019 in Nature.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

New research on mandible and premolar fossils could rewrite human history

TÜBINGEN, Germany: For the general public, the debate as to where humankind originated might not seem like a current topic. However, the highly ...

Fossil mandible points to complexity of Neanderthals’ origin

BURGOS, Spain: There are many scientists arguing that the Neanderthal lineage evolved linearly. However, a paper by a team of researchers from the Centro ...

The indispensable use of CBCT in the posterior mandible

The submandibular fossa (SF) is an important anatomic landmark of the mandible, where the submandibular gland resides. During dental practise, particular ...

Study points to lack of formal education on cannabis in dentistry

BUFFALO, N.Y., US: As the field of medicine continues to evolve, the American Dental Association (ADA) has recognised the importance of integrating ...

Excessive bleeding: ADA highlights importance of medical history taking in dentistry

SYDNEY, Australia: Taking a thorough medical history is vital as it helps to identify conditions that may affect dental treatment and consequently reduces ...

A short history of the NiTi file revolution

Nowhere in dentistry is technical progress as rapid as it is in modern endodontics. The development of flexible nickel-titanium (NiTi) files in the late ...

Uncover the practice profit killers

They say the evidence never lies. Here are the clues: Production fluctuates regularly. Collections are shaky. The schedule is either feast or famine. ...

Study uncovers abysmally low adherence to sterilization protocols

ARLINGTON, Va., U.S.: The importance of sterilization in the dental practice and operating room cannot be underestimated. In a new study, researchers have ...

Scientists uncover gene that enhances tissue regeneration in tooth healing

PLYMOUTH, UK: The usefulness of stem cells in the regeneration of dental and other body tissue has been established by numerous studies, though their ...

Research on fossilised teeth redefines human and Neanderthal history

LONDON, UK: Looking back in time through archaeology has revealed many insights to explain where Homo sapiens came from. By examining teeth, scientists have...

Education

Live webinar
Mon. 29 April 2024
12:30 pm EST (New York)