The remains of the first known ancient human hybrid, the offspring of a Neanderthal and a Denisovan, were discovered in 2012 and confirmed through ancient DNA analysis in 2018.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent, high-quality sources (Nature, Smithsonian, Wikipedia, Australian Museum) consistently confirm discovery in 2012 and DNA confirmation published in Nature in 2018. One outlier source lists 2014, but is contradicted by the overwhelming majority of corroborating references. [cascade flags: wikipedia_dropped_other_sources_exist | tier=silver indep_score=0.867 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- The biggest scientific breakthroughs of the last 25 years—and ... (seed:science_and_space)
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06004-0 (corroboration)
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-denisova-11-first-known-interspecies-hominin-180970114/ (corroboration)
- https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/the-denisovans/ (corroboration)