4 ms·

High-altitude cave used by Tibetan Buddhists yields a Denisovan fossil

• ggm 2y ago
  It is in the source article, and it may just be me, but I question use of the word "fossil" because I don't think these remains have undergone any of the various transformations which cause fossilisation in the geologic sense.
  • viciousvoxel 2y ago
    It's counterintuitive, but the term "fossil" doesn't always necessitate fossilization. Basically if the specimen is >10,000 yo (roughly the transition from Pleistocene to Holocene) then it can be referred to as a "fossil". This isn't a hard and fast rule, and seems to depend on the specific field/subfield or even US vs UK, etc.