The overall shape of the Bianfu Cave forearm fragment is more similar to modern human arm bones than to Neanderthal arm bones, despite sharing some features with Neanderthal bones.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent science-journalism outlets consistently report this finding, but all trace back to a single primary source (the 2026 Nature paper on Bianfu Cave Denisovan fossils), so corroboration is journalistic rather than from independently replicated scientific findings.
Sources
- Scientists Find a Trove of Denisovan Fossils and Tools in Southwest ... (smithsonianmag.com)
- https://www.zmescience.com/science/anthropology/first-denisovan-arm-bone/ (zmescience.com)
- https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/bianfu-cave-denisovans-15057.html (sci.news)
- https://thedebrief.org/the-first-denisovan-forearm-bone-ever-discovered-fills-a-key-knowledge-gap-in-our-understanding-of-this-archaic-hominin/ (thedebrief.org)
- https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/09/denisovan-bone-not-built-like-neanderthals/ (dailygalaxy.com)
- https://www.newsy-today.com/new-sw-china-fossil-discovery-sheds-light-on-human-evolution/ (newsy-today.com)