A skull unearthed in China challenges the timeline of human evolution
9 hours ago
- #Denisovans
- #paleoanthropology
- #human evolution
- A 1-million-year-old crushed skull found in China suggests it belongs to the same lineage as 'Dragon Man' and Denisovans, shaking up the human family tree.
- The skull's features and age indicate Denisovans originated much earlier than previously thought, pushing back the timeline for human species like Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.
- Digital reconstruction of the skull, known as Yunxian 2, used advanced techniques to correct deformities and analyze its structure, revealing links to Homo longi and Denisovans.
- The study proposes that Homo sapiens, Denisovans, and Neanderthals diverged from a common ancestor around 1.32 million years ago, challenging the traditional timeline of 700,000 to 500,000 years ago.
- The findings suggest Denisovans are more closely related to modern humans than Neanderthals, contradicting previous beliefs about our closest sister species.
- Researchers used anatomical data from 104 skulls and jawbones to reconstruct evolutionary relationships, creating a phylogenetic tree that shows earlier divergence times.
- The study highlights the importance of East Asian fossils in understanding human evolution, challenging previous marginalization of these records.
- Skepticism remains about the phylogenetic analysis, with some experts cautioning against drawing broad conclusions from limited data.
- The research underscores the complexity of human origins and the need for further studies, including more fossils from Africa and other regions.