Paleoanthropologists found a molar in a cave in Laos that possibly belonged to a member of the Denisovans, a group of humans that lived about 500,000 to 30,000 years ago. If the molar is confirmed, it will be the first fossil evidence of the Denisovans.
Researchers first identified the Denisovans in 2010. Their research depicted that they were from Southeast Asia, specifically in places such as Australia and the Philippines.
The molar found was estimated to be between 131,000 and 164,000 years old, belonging to a female who died between the ages of three and a half and eight and a half. Researchers identified the molar as a Denisovan since it did not resemble the teeth belonging to the Homo sapiens or Homo erectus species.
Original post by Margaret Osborne
Read more here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-molar-found-in-laos-could-help-fill-in-a-gap-in-human-history-180980105/
