For years, the Denisovans occupied an unusual place in the story of human evolution. They were recognised as one of our closest extinct relatives, yet almost nobody knew what they actually looked like. Unlike Neanderthals, whose skeletons have been uncovered across Europe and western Asia, Denisovans were represented by only a handful of fossil fragments. Their existence emerged through DNA rather than complete bones, leaving scientists with an ancient population that could be identified genetically but remained physically elusive. That picture has begun to change.
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