# Xing 2026: The proteome of Middle Pleistocene Xujiayao and common Denisovan morphology > Song Xing, Zhongyou Wu, Qingfeng Shao et al., 2026. 12 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The October 2026 result; it joins the two candidate taxa… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CZKZ2D45SWC/the-proteome-of-middle-pleistocene-xujiayao-and-common Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) --- [Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Who were the Denisovans? The Harbin "Dragon Man" cranium](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity)Xing 2026 **0** # The proteome of Middle Pleistocene Xujiayao and common Denisovan morphology Song Xing, Zhongyou Wu, Qingfeng Shao et al., 2026. _Nature_. 18 endogenous proteins from two Xujiayao bone specimens (Nihewan Basin, about 199-138 ka) carry the Denisovan-specific COL1A2-996K variant. Morphological comparison then finds a shared suite of traits in Xujiayao, Harbin, Jinniushan, Dali and Hualongdong (low cranial profile with near-parallel walls, massive brow, flat zygomaxillary region, weak prognathism) and assigns them all to the Denisovan lineage. Data in PRIDE PXD063518. **Who were the Denisovans? The Harbin "Dragon Man" cranium** Articledoi: **[10.1038/s41586-026-11132-z](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11132-z)** Checked against the original0 ## What it's used for here The October 2026 result; it joins the two candidate taxa (H. longi and H. juluensis) in one lineage. ## Cited by on this site 12 records [The East Asian crania are regional archaic H. sapiens or H. heidelbergensis, and Denisovans remain without a…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/answers/ANS0CZKZDCP1D2G/the-east-asian-crania-are-regional-archaic-h-sapiens-or-h) Answer ANS [Xujiayao hominin assemblage (20 cranial, mandibular and dental fossils; proteome specimens PA1490 and PA1497)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/artifacts/ART0CZKZNY46HZ7/xujiayao-hominin-assemblage-20-cranial-mandibular-and-dental) ART [Xujiayao proteome (PRIDE PXD063518) and consensus sequences](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT0CZKZK864KYQ/xujiayao-proteome-pride-pxd063518-and-consensus-sequences) Dataset DAT [Both Harbin and Xujiayao carry Denisovan variants.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/evidence/EVD0CZKZD4W4NET/both-harbin-and-xujiayao-carry-denisovan-variants) Evidence EVD [Both carry Denisovan variants; the 2026 study finds a shared morphology.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/evidence/EVD0CZKZGAE5W83/both-carry-denisovan-variants-the-2026-study-finds-a-shared) Evidence EVD [Harbin and Xujiayao are both Denisovan by molecules.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/evidence/EVD0CZKZFTT6GMC/harbin-and-xujiayao-are-both-denisovan-by-molecules) Evidence EVD [Two Xujiayao specimens carry the Denisovan-specific COL1A2-996K variant.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/evidence/EVD0CZKZCDE03R5/two-xujiayao-specimens-carry-the-denisovan-specific-col1a2) Evidence EVD [Xujiayao, Harbin, Jinniushan, Dali and Hualongdong share a distinctive cranial morphology.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/evidence/EVD0CZKZCN80S0R/xujiayao-harbin-jinniushan-dali-and-hualongdong-share-a) Evidence EVD [Xujiayao proteins carry the Denisovan COL1A2 variant; a common Denisovan morphology is defined](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/events/EVT0CZKZAEY1PEV/xujiayao-proteins-carry-the-denisovan-col1a2-variant-a) EVT [Who were the Denisovans? The Harbin "Dragon Man" cranium](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity) The mystery article MYS [What should the lineage be called?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/questions/QST0CZKZB6C1Y2W/what-should-the-lineage-be-called) Question QST [Which fossils are Denisovans, and so what did Denisovans look like?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity/questions/QST0CZKZAPR2WHJ/which-fossils-are-denisovans-and-so-what-did-denisovans-look) Question QST ## Cite it ``` Xing, S., Wu, Z., Shao, Q., Ge, J., Bennett, E. A., Rao, H., Lin, S., Zhao, Y., & Fu, Q. (2026). The proteome of Middle Pleistocene Xujiayao and common Denisovan morphology. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11132-z ``` [Read it free at nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-11132-z) Key **SRC** 0CZKZ2D45SWC Kind Journal article Rights CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0 Kept 27 Oct 2026, for editors Checked Against the published article Added by [apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo) The record Bibliographic records are CC0. Take this one as CSL-JSON, BibTeX or RIS. [CSL-JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CZKZ2D45SWC/the-proteome-of-middle-pleistocene-xujiayao-and-common/csl.json)