Yes we do have the DNA of Denisovans and Neanderthals (extracted from bones), but more importantly we have the living descendants of both (Eurasians in the case

Yes we do have the DNA of Denisovans and Neanderthals (extracted from bones), but more importantly we have the living descendants of both (Eurasians in the case of Neanderthals and Melanesian/Australian Aborigines in the case of Denisovans). The issue if Denisovans and Neanderthals are different species to sub-Saharan Africans is complex (nothing in biology is simple). Looking at the gene flow into existing populations it appears all Neanderthal and Denisovan genes came in via the male side. This suggests that the offspring were subject to Haldane’s rule [0], which is a strong marker for interspecies not intraspecies hybridization. More importantly, the three homo populations fit all the criteria for being different species that apply to the rest of the animal kingdom (i.e. genetically isolation and genetic adaptation to different environments). We should not forget that different does not mean inferior. Lions and tigers are different species of the genus Panthera, can they interbreed (Liger) and are subject to Haldane’s rule. Despite this one is not a better cat than the other. 0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haldane%27s_rule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haldane%27s_rule