A 1-million-year-old ancient skull found in China may indicate that modern humans appeared much earlier and possibly outside of Africa. This discovery changes the understanding of human evolution, pushing back the divergence of the lines of our ancestors, Neanderthals and Homo longi, by at least 400,000 years.
Scientists have discovered that an ancient 1-million-year-old skull found in China may indicate that modern humans appeared much earlier and possibly outside of Africa. This discovery changes conventional ideas about the history of our species, writes UNN with reference to The Guardian.
Details
Leading scientists came to this conclusion after re-analyzing a skull, known as Yunxian 2, found in China and previously classified as belonging to a representative of the primitive human species Homo erectus.
After a complex reconstruction of the skull, scientists concluded that it likely belonged to a representative of the species Homo longi, or "dragon man," closely related to Denisovans – with whom our ancestors coexisted. If confirmed, the find would be the closest known evidence to the moment when the paths of modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans diverged, forcing scientists to take a new look at the last million years of human evolution.
This changes a lot in our understanding, as it suggests that a million years ago our ancestors had already split into separate groups, indicating a much earlier and more complex evolutionary split of humans than previously thought. This more or less doubles the time of origin of Homo sapiens
– said Professor Chris Stringer, anthropologist and head of human evolution research at the Natural History Museum in London.
History of the find and new research
The skull was first discovered in Hubei province in 1990, heavily fragmented and difficult to interpret. Based on its age and some characteristic features, it was attributed to Homo erectus (Upright Man), a group believed to contain the direct ancestors of modern humans.
In the new study, scientists used advanced computed tomography, high-precision 3D scanning, and sophisticated digital methods to virtually reconstruct the skull. Although the large, squat braincase and protruding lower jaw resemble Homo erectus, the overall shape of the brain and teeth are more consistent with Homo longi – a species that scientists believe includes Denisovans. This discovery pushes back the divergence of our ancestors, Neanderthals, and Homo longi by at least 400,000 years and raises the possibility that the common ancestor of modern humans may have lived in West Asia, rather than Africa.
"This fossil is the closest we have to the ancestor of all these groups," Stringer said.
Computational analysis of a wider selection of fossils shows that over the last 800,000 years, large-brained humans have evolved along only five main branches: Asian erectus, Heidelberg, sapiens, Neanderthals, and Homo longi (including Denisovans).
We believe this study is a landmark step towards resolving the "muddle in the middle" of the confusing array of human fossils from 1 million to 300,000 years ago that has puzzled paleoanthropologists for decades.
– said Stringer.
These findings contradict some recent analyses based on genetic comparisons of DNA from living humans and ancient DNA, which means the conclusions are likely to be controversial.
Dr. Frido Welker, Assistant Professor of Human Evolution at the University of Copenhagen, who was not involved in the study, said: "It is interesting to have a digital reconstruction of this important skull. If this is confirmed by additional fossils and genetic evidence, the discrepancy in dating would be truly unexpected. Alternatively, molecular data from the sample itself could provide insights that support or refute the authors' morphological hypothesis."
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