The Denisovans lead:
When the decade first started, scientists recovered ancient genetic material from a fossilized finger bone found in the Denisova Cave in Siberia. They tested that material and discovered that the DNA didn’t match that of modern humans or Neanderthals. Instead, it belonged to a previously undiscovered species of early humans now called Denisovans. It was the first time a new species has been identified using ancient DNA.
What does this tell us? The human genome is a wondrous archive of our relationships with ancient species no longer around. riana Pobiner & Rick Potts, “These are the Decade’s Biggest Discoveries in Human Evolution” at Smithsonian Magazine
But some think it all doesn’t amount to much:
The 2010s was a bad decade for the study of human evolution. Smithsonian Magazine recently published an article titled “These are the Decade’s Biggest Discoveries in Human Evolution.” It opens by saying:
“Human evolution is one of the most vibrant areas of scientific investigation. In the past decade we’ve seen many discoveries that add to our understanding of our origins. To mark the 10th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s “David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins,” here are some of the biggest discoveries in human evolution from the last 10 years.”
What are the big discoveries of the decade? Did they reveal new and compelling evidence that humans evolved from lower primates? Some of these big discoveries actually turn out to be instances where the evidence for human evolution weakened, and the rest amount to slight revisions of previously held theories that don’t say much about the core tenets of paleoanthropology.
Evolution News, “A Disappointing Decade for the Study of Human Evolution” at Evolution News and Science Today
One reason it’s not been an especially “vibrant” decade is that the subhumans all turned into relatives, and reasonably smart ones at that. Paleontologists are still looking for the subhuman that would validate Darwinism.