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Coverage dated October 20, 2026 to October 23, 2026

Rare fossils reveal what ancient Denisovans may have looked like

Headline from Phys

Whenever anything is written about the Denisovans, the word "mysterious" is almost guaranteed to appear. That is because we just don't know a lot about this extinct human group that may have lived in East Asia from at least 300,000 to 45,000 years ago and was closely related to the Neanderthals.

Phys's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

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Reports & sources

4 articles, oldest first.

  1. Nature

    This is what the mysterious Denisovans looked like (opens Nature)

    Published

    Nature's feed description

    Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03360-0 Archaeologists identified skulls from China as belonging to this group of ancient human relatives.

  2. Gizmodo

    This Is What Our Mysterious Denisovan Cousins Probably Looked Like (opens Gizmodo)

    Published

    Gizmodo's feed description

    It took a while, but researchers believe they now have a molecular marker to reliably spot Denisovan fossils.

  3. ZME Science

    What Did Denisovans Look Like? Scientists Have Their Best Answer Yet (opens ZME Science)

    Published

    ZME Science's feed description

    Ancient proteins are helping scientists put a face to a long-lost branch of humanity.

  4. Phys

    Rare fossils reveal what ancient Denisovans may have looked like (opens Phys)

    Published

    Phys's feed description

    Whenever anything is written about the Denisovans, the word "mysterious" is almost guaranteed to appear. That is because we just don't know a lot about this extinct human group that may have lived in East Asia from at least 300,000 to 45,000 years ago and was closely related to the Neanderthals.

Rare fossils reveal what ancient Denisovans may have looked like | Since Then