# Scientists finally link human fossils found in China fifty years ago to the Denisovans, early human ancestors that we still know very little about

Source: [Earth.com](https://www.earth.com/science/xujiayao-fossils-linked-to-denisovan-proteins/) · 2026-11-11 · Earth & Climate
Page: https://themorning.science/story/scientists-finally-link-human-fossils-found-in-china-fifty-years-ago-to-the-deni-f0901cdafb3f22df
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Between 1976 and 1979, excavators in the Nihewan Basin of northern China recovered 20 human fossils at the Xujiayao site.
- Nearly five decades later, these fossils have been linked to the Denisovan lineage.
- Denisovans are an extinct human group first identified from DNA in a Siberian cave, and remain poorly understood.

## Why it matters

The link places a set of fossils from China within the Denisovan lineage, which helps researchers map where this extinct group lived and how it relates to other early humans.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: Earth.com reports that the Xujiayao fossils have been linked to the Denisovans

## Coverage

- [Scientists finally link human fossils found in China fifty years ago to the Denisovans, early human ancestors that we still know very little about](https://www.earth.com/science/xujiayao-fossils-linked-to-denisovan-proteins/) — Earth.com, 2026-11-11

Tags: denisovans, paleoanthropology, human evolution, xujiayao, fossils

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science