Cave deposits yield bones of sheep, yaks, carnivores, and birds that were butchered.
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High-altitude cave used by Tibetan Buddhists yields a Denisovan fossil
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
Or it indicates that someone or something disturbed the layers in the cave 30,000 years ago and jumbled the layers.
I expect it would depend on how thick the layers are, vs how deeply it was found in the layers and a host of other things. But just finding DNA from a lower level on an upper level doesn't mean it was laid there naturally. Earthquakes in the region could have done the unsettling all by themselves.
Just a thought. Considering how few Denisovian remains have been identified, you'd think there'd be a lot more in places where they lived. And if they survived for hundreds of thousands (or millions) of years to be dying out at the same time Neanderthal did, you'd think we'd have found a lot more of those remains.
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The article image shows 2 caves, one of which has been modified in the manner typical of monks on retreat. I imagine the one with the built up entrance is the one the monks were making a pilgrimage to. It looks rather homey from the outside. There is a funny story about a monk named Pabongka Rinpoche. He had an attendant. a faithful devotee, who built up the entrance to his retreat cave into something quite extraordinary. Pabongka Rinpoche was a bit peeved at him as the he was supposed to be on retreat, eschewing the good things of life.
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You can usually see when the stratigraphy has been disturbed. You really can’t just jumble the layers and end up with them still looking like individual layers.
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If they practiced Sky Burials, then there might not be much left and we're lucky to have found anything.
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"with an increasing number of sheep in the more recent layers, suggesting that the Denisovans there were becoming more specialized hunters."
A good way to ensure there are plenty of herd animals, is to protect the herd from predators. That is the path to domestication.
A good way to ensure there are plenty of herd animals, is to protect the herd from predators. That is the path to domestication.
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Critters like wolves and other mega fauna tend to lead to a desire for protection among human groups when you're trying to stay alive in a wilderness.
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Satire is lost on most people. I thought it was cleverMaybe it means they were reincarnated from Denisovans.
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Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. You’re right. While pedantic in a social circle, when replying to a scientific article where the difference is important, I think it’s fine to point out (and let others learn from).
Maybe the downvoters don’t like learning?
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Given the increasing evidence for the Denisovans being seriously tough mofo's that were very hard to kill, I'd link them more with Sherpas.
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This is not a geography paper, so we can use the word everyone but geographers use.
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Does everyone though? It would never occur to me to use a phrase like, the “altitude above sea level” when talking about land. I also don’t recall seeing the altitude listed on city limits signs in Colorado. Elevation on the other hand . . .
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Well no, you’d just say altitude. Above sea level is understood.
At high altitude you’d start worrying about altitude sickness and, if it got bad, you might suffer high altitude pulmonary edema or high altitude cerebral edema.
To avoid this, commercial aircraft keep the cabin pressure to the equivalent of 8,000’ altitude. To avoid crashing into the ground or other aircraft, pilots set the reference pressure on the altimeter so as to have a well calibrated read on their altitude. The scale height of a planet describes how pressure varies by altitude.
Biologists have identified genes in Sherpas and some Andean peoples that help adapt to life at high altitude. This article describes long-term habitation at high altitudes through colder periods in this particular cave, and there’s some evidence those high-altitude adaptations might have a denisovan origin.
Road signs are made by geographers who insist that the altitude of a surface must only be called “elevation”. I don’t see what that gains anyone but if y’all geographers want to define terms that way then knock yourselves out. Just leave the rest of us alone.
Question: if you walk from an elevation of 2,000’ onto an elevator above a mine shaft, are you now at 2,000’ altitude and very definitely not at an elevation?
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I'm not sure either. Although, we live in interesting times.
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Crying Croc
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Image Source: GeographyRealm.com
Elevation is the measurement of the height of a geographical feature that is above mean sea level. Peak, cave, tree line..
Altitude is the vertical measurement of the distance of an object above the surface of the Earth. Bird, airplane, the ISS...
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Could his last name be Simmons? Descendant of the late Thag Simmons who was so wonderfully profiled in The Far Side?
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That’s great, you can use two different words for exactly the same concept depending on whether the subject is a geographical feature or not. Knock yourself out.
Image Source: GeographyRealm.com
Elevation is the measurement of the height of a geographical feature that is above mean sea level. Peak, cave, tree line..
Altitude is the vertical measurement of the distance of an object above the surface of the Earth. Bird, airplane, the ISS...
Why this matters is completely beyond me. Why you think the geographical definition is the only possible one, equally beyond me.
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Crying Croc
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Heck, why do we also use two different words for exactly the same concept depending on whether we're describing an object or an act? He is a good kid and he did well. Could have said he is a well kid and he did good - and you would still understand my praises for the kid! We can go on and on about the 'convolution' aka English grammar. Nevertheless, people generally expect proper grammar and vocabulary, especially in articles/publications - versus casual verbal exchanges.
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It is bit weird when they are using the same reference level of mean sea level. Having two different names that end up with the same results as they use the same reference level seems more of a parallel usage and should be interchangeable if they are getting the exact same results. It's a bit like how fish have different local names, but they are still the same fish in either location. I understand that the technical answer, is technically the best answer, but not when they are the same answer.
'Elevation is a term used in geography and cartography to describe the height of a specific point on Earth’s surface in relation to a reference point, usually mean sea level. Elevation is commonly expressed in meters (m) or feet (ft) and is an essential element in understanding the topography and landscape of a region.
Mean sea level is the average height of the ocean’s surface, as measured by the midpoint between high and low tides. By comparing the height of a point on land to the mean sea level, we can determine its elevation.
...
Altitude is a term used in geography, aviation, and space sciences to describe the vertical distance or height of an object or point above a specific reference level. While the terms elevation and altitude are sometimes used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings in certain contexts.
In the context of geography, altitude refers to the height of a point or object above a reference level, usually the Earth’s surface or mean sea level. It is commonly expressed in meters (m) or feet (ft). Altitude data helps in understanding the topography, climate, and ecology of a region.'
https://mapscaping.com/what-is-the-difference-between-elevation-relief-and-altitude/
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I don't have anything to contribute, but I like the archaeology articles and wanted to say so. Always interesting! Keep them coming!
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I don't know why people keep elevating the altitude argument. Denisovans didn't use either word.
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That's probably very likely on the Tibetan plateau. No where to really bury a body, not much wood to waste on cremation.
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There may be a lot more. See Homo longi. The difficulty is that we have a lack of DNA to go along with most of the fossils we've found, and where we do have DNA, it's not from a bone that can be definitively matched with the existing fossils.
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I think we should elevate the discourse. I don't think it matters one whit. Elevation is the view of the front of the house in your contractors plans...
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HACE ‑ High Altitude Cerebral Oedema
HAPE ‑ High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema
It's not just pilots who use "altitude", it's pretty common in most other fields.
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I love when people find a definition that states “usually”, and start arguing pedantically that it actually means “always”. It’s a window into their own personality, while not being at all enlightening about the given context.
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The most high-altitude point on Earth is Mount Everest, in the Himalayan mountain range on the border of Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet. [1]
- National Geographic.
Even geographers don't agree with you.
[1] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/altitude/
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