Present-day Tibet (China). A Denisovan man dies, and his remains end up in a cave at 3,000 meters above sea level. 1,600 centuries later, the remains of his jaw and some teeth are found and analyzed. First of all, it is incredible that this species, very close to Homo sapiens and certainly also interbred with Neanderthals, was able to settle at such high altitudes, in a lack of oxygen and at prohibitive temperatures. The proteins found on the jaw and teeth will be analyzed in detail (Proteomics), taking advantage of the fact that proteins are more robust and therefore last intact, or nearly so, longer than DNA.
