ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Denisova hominin

Denisova hominins were a group of ancient humans who lived a very long time ago. They were actually a kind of cousin to the Neanderthals, who were also ancient humans.

We know about them because scientists found some of their bones and teeth in a place called Denisova Cave, in Siberia. But the bones and teeth were really old - over 50,000 years old!

Scientists have done a lot of research on these bones and teeth, and they noticed something really interesting. They were different from Neanderthal bones and teeth - they belonged to a different group of ancient humans!

This group of ancient humans are now called Denisova hominins, after the cave where their bones were found. Scientists think that the Denisova hominins were really good at living in cold places, like Siberia.

We still have a lot to learn about Denisova hominins, but finding their bones is helping scientists learn more about what ancient humans were like and how humans have changed over time.