GoKawiilProtein analysis links 130,000-year-old Xujiayao fossils to Denisovans
Researchers led by geneticist Qiaomei Fu analyzed ancient proteins from a collection of 20 fossils found in Xujiayao, China, and identified them as belonging to Denisovans, an extinct human relative first identified in 2010. The findings, published in Nature, describe physical traits including a sloping forehead, pronounced brow ridge, rectangular eye sockets, flat cheeks and a moderately raised nasal bridge.