Prehistoric Wisdom Tooth Reveals New Branch of Human Family Tree

The World

Thanks to a broken finger bone and wisdom tooth found in a Siberian cave, scientists have discovered a new branch in the hominid family tree. Known as the Denisovans, they are cousins to Neanderthals; lived in Asia from roughly 400,000 to 50,000 years ago; and interbred with the ancestors of today’s inhabitants of New Guinea.

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