Two Denisovan bones dredged from Taiwan's Penghu Channel in 2010 (a femur and tibia) have been dated to ~43,000-45,000 years ago. Ancient protein analysis confirmed Denisovan identity. Males stood roughly 5'9"-5'10", females possibly 5'11"-6'3" — remarkably tall and robust for archaic humans.
Penghu 2 and 3 Denisovan bones reveal exceptional height
Key facts
- Penghu 2 (femur) and Penghu 3 (tibia) dredged from the Penghu Channel off the coast of Taiwan by fishermen in 2010
- Identified as Denisovan through ancient protein sequencing of bone collagen
- Dated approximately 43,000-45,000 years ago, at the tail end of Denisovan existence
- Penghu 2 likely male, height 5'9" to 5'10.4", weight 82.5 kg (182 lb), BMI 25.4
- Penghu 3 tibia possibly female, height 5'11" to 6'3", weight 90.8 kg (200 lb), BMI 25.25
- Both individuals exceptionally tall and heavily built compared to other ancient humans
Sources
A male Denisovan mandible from Pleistocene Taiwanscience.org
by T Tsutaya · 2025 · Cited by 75 — Penghu is located ~4000 km southeast of Denisova Cave and ~2000 km southeast of Xiahe (Fig. 1). The identification of Penghu 1 as a Denisovan ...
Penghu 1en.wikipedia.org
Penghu 1 is a fossil jaw (mandible) belonging to an extinct hominin species of the genus Homo. It was collected from seafloor sediments of the Penghu Channel ...
Legs of the last Denisovansjohnhawks.net
Two new Denisovan fossils have emerged from the seafloor of the Penghu Strait, near Taiwan. The fossils, a partial femur (Penghu 2) and tibia … ...
Mysterious human fossil found in Taiwan was a Denisovannature.com
Mysterious human fossil found in Taiwan was a Denisovan Analysis of ancient proteins identifies jawbone as belonging to archaic human group.
Denisovans Were Surprisingly Tall, New Fossils from ...sci.news
In the new research, the authors examined two Denisovan leg bones — a femur and a tibia known as Penghu 2 and Penghu 3 — recovered from the ...
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.