Year in Review Humans

Mysterious Denisovans emerged from the shadows in 2019

The picture of these enigmatic hominids began to come into view this year

partial Denisovan jaw

A partial jaw, unearthed on the Tibetan Plateau, is one of several Denisovan fossils reported in 2019.

Dongju Zhang/Lanzhou Univ.

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

Denisovans’ days of Stone Age obscurity appear numbered. The mysterious “ghost clan” floated into view over a decade ago, when a bit of a girl’s pinkie bone, found in Siberia’s Denisova Cave, yielded DNA that didn’t match that of any known hominid.