New fossil trove reveals how mysterious Denisovans lived in ancient China

In a cave in southwestern China, archaeologists have brought a long-shadowed human ancestor one step closer to the light. The Denisovans — known until recently almost entirely through genetic echoes in living populations — have yielded rare physical remains: bones and tools that transform them from a genomic abstraction into a people who once hunted, gathered, and made things with their hands. This discovery reminds us that the human story is older, more crowded, and more intricate than we have yet fully reckoned with.