关键词: 丹尼索瓦人, 古蛋白质组学, 哈尔滨古人类头骨, 分子演化, 古人类学

Abstract: Denisovans are a genetically identified hominin group and it is difficult to identify Denisovans through morphological studies due to the fragmentary nature of discovered fossils. Qiaomei Fu's research team at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with Qiang Ji's team at the Hebei GEO University, conducted an ancient proteomic study on a nearly complete cranium from Harbin, China, dating to at least 146,000 years ago. With their self-developed palaoproteomic experimental system, researchers retrieved 95 endogenous proteins from the Harbin cranium. Further analysis found three Denisovan derived amino acid variants in this individual and phylogenetic analysis showed a cluster with Denisova 3 from Denisovan cave in Siberia, suggesting the Harbin individual belongs to a Denisovan population. For the first time, this study linked the molecular evidence of Denisovans with nearly complete morphological features, filling the cognitive gap between morphology and genetics of Denisovans, and providing an important basis for exploring the spatial and temporal distribution and evolutionary history of Denisovans.

Key words: Denisovans, Paleoproteomics, the Harbin cranium, molecular evolution, Paleoanthropology