New research sheds light on a mysterious link in the web of human evolution.

We don’t know much about Denisovans, a group of ancient hominins that overlapped with both Neanderthals and our own species (Homo sapiens). For instance, we don’t know what Denisovans looked like because we don’t have anything close to a complete skull specimen (though scientists have made some DNA-informed guesses). We know they lived in certain locations in what’s now Asia, but don’t know the full extent of where they roamed. We know they probably died out between 20,000 and 50,000 years ago, but why is unclear.

Now though, we know a little bit more about what Denisovans ate and how they survived amid the especially harsh conditions of the Tibetan Plateau. The archaic humans butchered a diverse array of animals for food, skins and furs, and tool-making materials inside a cave that they occupied for tens of thousands of years, according to a study published July 3 in the journal Nature. The varied findings described in the new paper shed light on the habits and long-term survival of an extinct, enigmatic relative that shaped modern humans’ genetics.

Dan and Kevin Hageman seem relieved.

It makes sense. The brother duo behind the first Lego Movie and Trollhunters scored a big win back in 2021 when their Star Trek series Prodigy got picked up by Paramount+ and Nickelodeon. But despite signing a two-season deal, Star Trek: Prodigy was quietly canceled after Season 1 — until Netflix swooped in. Now, we’re just days away from the Season 2 premiere, so it’s no surprise that the look on the Hageman Brothers’ faces reads as a mix of glee and exhaustion.

“We’re very excited to be able to tell this story,” Kevin Hageman tells Inverse.

Over Zoom, the Hageman Brothers seem less like siblings and more like two friends who’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons with each other for decades. Kevin clearly wants to be the DM, while Dan is the guy who wants the quest to get bonkers. When it comes to crafting epic, animated projects, this geeky dynamic clearly gets he job done. But now, it’s up to the algorithmic streaming gods to decide Prodigy’s fate.