The Nature outlet reported on Wednesday, that the partial jawbone was found in 1980 but almost forty years passed before the scientists were able to confirm that it belonged to a Denisovan.
Scientists believe that the specimen found at an altitude of 3,280 meters (10,761 feet) is around 160,000 years old. The finding points to the likelihood that Denisovans and Neanderthals evolved from a common ancestor.
The outlet recalled that the find was also the first physical remnant of Denisovans larger than a single tooth or bone.
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The publication recalled that the Denisovan genome was believed to have contributed to the adaptation of today’s Tibetans and the Sherpa people to living at a high altitude with low oxygen levels.
Fossils of Denisovans were first found in the Altai mountains in 2010.