The Denisovans May Have Been More Than a Single Species

A new genetic analysis the extinct humans may actually have been three distinct lineages.

In anthropology, bones don't always tell the whole story. Ancient remains can be so rare that an entire species of hominids can be compressed into one single fragment of bone. Thousands of generations, millions of individuals, epic untold stories — and our only insight is a stray tooth, or a few curving shards of skull. That leaves us without a true view of who these people were, even when it comes to our most recent ancestors, like the Neanderthals or the Denisovans.

But a new study using genetic data is offering an intriguing new look into the history of one of those species, the Denisovans, revealing them as a people of far greater diversity, and reach, than ever before.

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