Core Insights - The research team has identified a nearly complete ancient human skull found in Harbin, China, as belonging to the Denisovans, providing significant insights into their physical appearance and genetic lineage [1][2]. Group 1: Research Breakthroughs - The team developed a new automated method for analyzing ancient proteins, yielding the highest quality and most informative ancient human protein data to date [2]. - They confirmed that the Harbin ancient human's protein characteristics closely match those of known Siberian Denisovans, indicating a very close genetic relationship [2]. - The researchers successfully extracted unique mitochondrial DNA from micro dental calculus samples weighing only 0.3 milligrams and 0.5 milligrams, linking the Harbin ancient human to an early lineage of Denisovans from Siberia [2]. Group 2: Significance of Findings - This research establishes a direct connection between a nearly complete ancient human skull and molecular evidence of Denisovans, marking the first time such a link has been made [2]. - The findings have been highly praised by peer reviewers for showcasing exceptional experimental and computational analysis techniques, contributing significantly to the understanding of Denisovans [2].