The estimate that modern humans of non-African ancestry carry roughly 1 to 3 percent Neanderthal DNA is a statistical estimate with error bars.

The conclusion that the ancestors of modern Oceanians interbred with Denisovans somewhere in Southeast Asia is an inference from genetic patterns rather than a direct observation.

The specific number and timing of interbreeding events is estimated, not measured.

Denny herself is certain — the evidence for her specific ancestry is as direct as it can be.

But her representativeness is unknown.

Was she typical of Neanderthal-Denisovan interactions in the Altai region, or was she exceptional?