The newfound tooth hails from Laos’s Cobra Cave—thousands of miles south of the only other known Denisovan fossils
—known as the Xiahe mandible—in Baishiya Cave, on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau.
The Laotian tooth’s lack of roots or surface wear suggests that it belonged to a child who died before their adult teeth had fully formed, likely between 3.5 and 8.5 years of age. The molar probably washed into the cave alongside remains from other large animals, including ancient rhinos, pigs, macaques, and bovids. Based in part on the age of these animal remains, the molar is most likely between 131,000 and 164,000 years old.
And by minimizing the amount of sample they took from the tooth, the study team has left the door open for future research that’s yet to be imagined. “People who are working on this field in 30, 40, 50 years with totally new technologies are going to appreciate that," says National Geographic Explorer
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