00:00Scientists in China's Yunnan province have discovered the first fossils of bones belonging to an extinct human species known as
00:08Denisovan.
00:09The three bones and four teeth, which may be as old as 160,000 years, could give fresh insight into
00:16how the species lived.
00:18Scientists believe the human species had been widespread across Asia after a Denisovan bone was identified in Siberia in 2010.
00:26However, physical remains are among the rarest fossils of any known ancient human relative.
00:33Hao Li is research professor at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research.
00:38This study systematically reveals for the first time the morphological features and the technological behavior and the survival strategies of
00:48Neanderthal in southern China
00:50and reconstructing a comprehensive picture of the survival of this enigmatic population.
00:57And this important discovery at the Bianfo Cave not only fill a longstanding gap in the Denisovan fossil and archaeological
01:05records of southwestern China,
01:07but also transform the history of Denisovan activity in southern East Asia from genetic clue that based on present-day
01:16populations into rich archaeological evidence
01:20and providing key information for research on the technological behavior and the subsistence pattern of Neanderthal in East Asia.
01:28What can we guess about their lives and how they lived?
01:35Yes, I think we have a very rich cultural remains from the site.
01:40For example, the stone artifacts and abundant fauna remains.
01:43So from this, we can understand how they live and their daily life or their subsistence strategies.
01:51So first, I think based on the stone artifacts, we know these people, they use different types of stone artifacts
02:00and also the bone tools.
02:02So, and this shows the expedient technology, which they can adapt very well to their exploited resources.
02:10And from the zooarchaeological evidence, they reveal that deer and bison, these two species, are dominated in the bone assemblage
02:21and indicating this media to large-sized angulates were the primary prey of hominy.
02:28And also the mortality profile show a predominance of prime adult individuals
02:33and suggesting targeted hunting of high-yield returns.
02:38Also, the cut mark and percussion scars on bone confirm the systematic butchery and marrow extraction.
02:45So I think overall, all these together reveal a whole picture of how hominids live in the cave.
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