She is not a separate species in the way that, say, a chimpanzee is.

She is a member of a closely related human lineage whose descendants, including some members of our own ancestry, lived alongside our direct ancestors and, in some cases, had children with them.

Looking at her face, we are looking at something close to a relative from a very long branch of the family tree.

That is a strange thought.

It is also, given the evidence, an accurate one.

The Ongoing Excavation and What Remains to Find