Million-year-old skull found in China could rewrite human evolution timeline
17 hours ago
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- A million-year-old skull found in China suggests humans may have diverged from ancient ancestors 400,000 years earlier than previously thought, and in Asia rather than Africa.
- The skull, labeled Yunxian 2, was reconstructed using advanced technologies, revealing features closer to Homo longi and Homo sapiens, challenging previous assumptions about Homo erectus.
- The findings could resolve the 'Muddle in the Middle' of human evolution, indicating a more complex and earlier evolutionary split than believed.
- Experts caution that the findings are likely to be disputed due to ongoing uncertainties in human evolution timelines.
- The study used CT scanning, structure light imaging, and virtual reconstruction to model the skull, comparing it to over 100 other specimens.
- The research suggests earlier members of other hominins, like Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, may have existed, complicating the narrative of human dispersal from Africa.
- Some experts remain unconvinced, citing genetic analysis as a more reliable indicator of human evolution than fossil morphology.
- The study highlights the complexity of human origins, with recent discoveries like Homo longi ('Dragon Man') adding to the evolving understanding.