Paleontological discoveries in China reveal dinosaur and Denisovan remains

Significant paleontological discoveries have been made in China, involving both dinosaur remains and ancient human ancestors.

In Inner Mongolia, a copper exploration project conducted by Geological Party No. 208 uncovered Cretaceous dinosaur remains at a depth of 473.2 meters near Guaizihu. Researchers Tianyu Li and Ranwei Wang identified the fossils as belonging to an immature specimen of the Ornithischia group. While the material is fragmentary—including caudal vertebrae, neural arches, and a sacral rib—morphometric analysis suggests a similarity to Psittacosaurus. The discovery provides new data regarding the fauna of the Bayan Gobi Formation.

In Yunnan province, researchers at Bianfu Cave have identified Denisovan remains using advanced proteomic analysis. By examining over 60,000 bone fragments, the team used ZooMS (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry) to identify collagen markers from the genus Homo. The findings, published in Nature, include two parietal skull fragments and a proximal radius fragment identified as archaic humans, alongside two teeth confirmed as Denisovan. These remains date to between 167,000 and 134,000 years ago, marking the first confirmed Denisovan site in southwest China.