Which species was identified as a sister group to Neanderthals?

The species identified as a sister group to Neanderthals is indeed the Denisova hominins. Sister groups are two lineages that share a common ancestor more recently than they share one with other groups. In this case, both Neanderthals and Denisovans share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with other species such as Homo sapiens or Homo erectus.

The discovery of Denisova hominins through genetic analysis has shown that they are closely related to Neanderthals, with both of them falling under a larger category known as archaic humans. This relationship has been supported by fossil evidence and genetic data indicating that Denisovans and Neanderthals diverged from a common ancestor around 400,000 to 600,000 years ago.

In contrast, Homo sapiens, while a close relative to Neanderthals, branched off earlier from the common lineage and is not considered a sister group. Homo erectus represents an earlier stage in human evolution and does not hold the same evolutionary proximity to Neanderthals, making it a less suitable answer in this context. Lastly, Homo neanderthalensis is simply the scientific name for Neanderthals themselves, not a different species that