At Nesher Ramla, in Israel, a partial skull fossil and associated stone tools, 140,000 to 120,000 years old, suggest that a previously unknown population had cultural and genetic exchanges with Neanderthals and, possibly, with modern humans. A new species has also been suggested based on a cranium from northeast China at Harbin, at least 146,000 years old. The large cranium has archaic facial features, shared with fossils from Dali and Xiahe, China, along with a large, modern human-like brain size.  Although controversial, the researchers named the new species Homo longi, closely related to Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens.

Whether these finds represent existing species, species hybrids, or new species entirely, our picture of late Pleistocene human interactions is getting more complex.  

Nesher Ramla was published in the journal Science June 25, 2021, by Hershovitz and colleagues.

Harbin was published in the journal The Innovation June 25, 2021, by Ni and colleagues.