This means that scientists cannot describe what the Denisovans looked like from fossil evidence in the way they can describe Neanderthals.

The genetic evidence gives us some clues — the Denisovan genome contains genes associated with specific physical traits — but the reconstruction of Denisovan anatomy from DNA alone is an indirect and uncertain process.

What the DNA does tell us is when they diverged from the lineages that would lead to Neanderthals and modern humans.

The Denisovans and Neanderthals share a common ancestor — a population that split from the lineage leading to modern humans perhaps 600,000 to 700,000 years ago.

The Denisovans and Neanderthals themselves diverged from each other perhaps 400,000 to 500,000 years ago, though the exact timing is uncertain and depends on the specific assumptions used in the genetic analysis.