The discovery of a fossilized Denisovan jaw in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, which was led by two Chinese scientists, was listed among the Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year by Science magazine on December 20.

The two researchers were Chen Fahu, a member of the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Science, and Zhang Dongju, associate professor of the College of Earth and Environment Sciences, Lanzhou University.

Their results have been added to the list of the top 10 archaeological discoveries by the American Journal Archeology and included as a top 10 news item of 2019 by Science News magazine.

The fossil was found in Xiahe county, Northwest China's Gansu province. Archeologists have verified that the fossil can be dated back 160,000 years, after comprehensive analysis of its physique, molecular nature, living environment and human adaptation.

A 3D model of a Denisovan mandible found in Baishiya Karst Cave in Xiahe county, Northwest China's Gansu province [Image: Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences]

It is believed to be the first fossil of a member of the hominin species known as Denisovans to be found outside the Denisova Cave in southern Siberia's Altay Mountains.

Prior to the discovery, scientists considered a site in Nwya Devu, about 300 kilometers northwest of Lhasa, to be the oldest archaeological site in the Tibetan Plateau.

Archeologists have verified that the fossil can be dated back 160,000 years, and the finding signals that ancient humans lived in the plateau that long ago, much earlier than the 40,000 years suggested by previous archaeological discoveries.

Source: Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences