New Denisovan fossil evidence helps reconstruct the face of an extinct human relative

Nature reports that researchers identified fossils from Xujiayao in northern China as Denisovan using ancient proteins from two bones. The collection of 20 skull, jaw and tooth fossils was excavated in the 1970s and dates to roughly 199,000–138,000 years ago. Comparing the remains with other East Asian fossils, the researchers suggest Denisovans had low, sloping foreheads, prominent brow ridges and flat cheeks.