Zhang Dongju
Zhang Dongju () is a Chinese archeologist and an associate professor at the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences of
Lanzhou University. Zhang's research determined that the
Xiahe mandible found in the
Baishiya Karst Cave on the
Tibetan Plateau shared
DNA with fossilized remains found in the
Denisova Cave in
Siberia. This moved to 120,000 years earlier the dates of earliest proven
hominin activities in the Tibetan Plateau, and revealed for the first time that the
Denisovan hominins had spread throughout Asia rather than being located only near the Denisova Cave. Zhang's work is considered likely to prompt reconsideration of other fossil remains using
ancient protein analysis. ''Discover'', ''Science News'', and ''Nova'' all named the discovery to their lists of top science stories of 2019.
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