A research team, including an author from a 2021 study, recently analyzed ancient proteins found in the Harbin skull. They identified 95 distinct proteins, three of which corresponded exclusively to those encoded in Denisovan DNA. While a prior study from June 2025 proposed that Homo longi was synonymous with Denisovans, the latest research presents an alternative perspective: Homo longi represents a broader species that includes what has been classified as Denisovans. Study coauthor Xijun Ni of the Chinese Academy of Sciences commented in an email to Ars Technica, “Given their similar age range, distribution areas, and available morphological data, it is likely that Denisovans belong to the Homo longi species. However, little is known about Denisovan morphology.”
This remark about the limited understanding of Denisovan morphology applies to those who reject the conclusions of the aforementioned June 2025 study, which classified the Harbin skull within the Denisovan category and thereby provided insights into its physical characteristics.
Feng and his fellow researchers do not endorse the findings of that previous study. They argue that the Harbin skull is part of a different group within Homo longi and cast doubt on the methodologies and results of the earlier investigation. “The peptide sequences from Harbin, Penghu, and other fossils are too short and provide conflicting information,” Ni stated to Ars Technica. They also challenge the outcomes of a different study that used mitochondrial DNA to identify the Harbin skull as Denisovan.
Feng and his team are firmly oriented towards defining Homo longi as an independent species, with Denisovans merely constituting one subset. Nonetheless, this assertion faces challenges when aligned with available DNA data.
Yunxian 2: A Closer Look
The fossil known as Yunxian 2 features a broad face with high, flat cheekbones, a wide nasal cavity, and prominent brow ridges. Its cranial structure is higher and rounder than that of Homo erectus (including the original reconstruction from the 1990s), yet it remains longer and lower than typical specimens of modern humans. This skull is estimated to have had a brain capacity of approximately 1,143 cubic centimeters, comparable to that of contemporary humans. However, the skull’s shape may have limited the space available for the frontal lobe, an area critical for social skills, logic, motor skills, and executive functions, potentially differentiating it from Neanderthal or Homo sapiens skulls.
