Denisovan fossil discovery reveals height and diet details

An international research team led by Professor Minoru Yoneda of the University of Tokyo has analyzed a 45,000-year-old shinbone discovered by fishermen off the coast of Taiwan in 2024. The fossil has been identified as belonging to the Denisovans, a mysterious human relative that lived alongside Homo sapiens.

Based on the length of the bone, researchers estimate that Denisovans stood approximately 190 centimeters tall, making them significantly taller than both Neanderthals and the average modern human. Chemical analysis of the bone also provides insights into their diet, suggesting they consumed large amounts of meat from land animals and some plants from savannas and floodplains, but little to no fish.