Scientists make 'exciting' breakthrough in finding traces of two 'ghost' ancestors in human DNA

NewsWorld NewsScienceThe new discovery explains how we got here todayEthan Davies07:46, 31 Jul 2026Updated 07:51, 31 Jul 2026A caveman may have interbred between hominis(Image: gorodenkoff via Getty Images)Traces of ‘ghost ancestors’ have been found in human DNA in what scientists are calling an 'exciting' discovery.‌Scientists in the USA have located DNA from two unknown groups of hominis, the group of primates which include homo sapiens and neanderthals. One originates from Africa around 50,000 years ago, which were previously thought to exist but never proven.‌The other, a ‘super archaic’ hominis lineage, is much older at 1.8 million years old. It’s thought they interbred with Denisovans, another group of hominis which have since died out like neanderthals.‌They mixed DNA in Eurasia and