Researchers used ancient proteins to identify fossils from China’s Xujiayao site as Denisovan, giving scientists clearer skull and jaw features to look for in other East Asian fossils.
In a study published in Nature on October 21, 2026, the team analyzed proteins from two Xujiayao fossils. The fossils came from a collection of human remains excavated in the 1970s. The proteins included a collagen variant that supports Denisovan ancestry.
This evidence helped resolve the fossils’ long-disputed classification. The site’s human fossils are estimated to be between about 199,000 and 138,000 years old. After comparing the remains with other fossils, researchers described the skull as low, with sides that were nearly parallel and a prominent brow ridge.
They also described the middle of the face as relatively flat, with little of the face extending outward. The Denisovan skull also has traits found in other human groups, including features resembling Homo erectus, Neanderthals and modern humans. The team said similar body features in fossils from other East Asian sites may help identify more Denisovan remains.
However, the findings do not give a complete picture of what Denisovans looked like.