The big take away. They may be closer to us than Neanderthals.
The above diagram of our family tree comes from a new article in New Scientist. Here’s a compilation of some excerpts from this article:
>> Until recently, we had no idea what Denisovans looked like. Now that has changed, thanks to a 146,000-year-old skull mysteriously unearthed in Harbin, China. In June, we learned that it contained Denisovan DNA in ancient goo attached to the tooth surface, suggesting the skull belonged to this ancient relative of modern humans. Now we can expect a new name for this extinct hominin, with at least two competing proposals for what it should be. There will also be a battle over how to place Denisovans in our family tree, especially given the suggestion that they are more closely related to living humans than any other ancient human—potentially displacing Neanderthals from their position as our sister species. <<
The tools are as impressive as the results.
Scientists uncover new fossils—and a new species of ancient human ancestor
Mystery Greek hominin skull dated to be at least 286,000 years old
Things are getting more complex with our origins.