These findings stem from the reconstruction of a crushed skull discovered in China in 1990, potentially resolving the longstanding “Muddle in the Middle” period of human evolution.
The skull, labelled Yunxian 2, was originally thought to belong to the human forerunner Homo erectus.
“This changes a lot of thinking,“ said Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at London’s Natural History Museum who participated in the research team.
If confirmed, the findings imply there could have been much earlier members of other early hominins, including Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.
Petraglia noted that east Asia may have played a very key role in hominin evolution, representing a potential big change in understanding.
Scientists partially relied on another similar skull to shape their model before comparing it to over 100 other specimens.
Stringer explained that Yunxian 2 may help resolve the confusing array of human fossils from between one million and 300,000 years ago.
Andy Herries, an archaeologist at La Trobe University, expressed skepticism, noting that fossil morphology is not always a perfect indicator for human evolution based on genetic analysis.
These findings represent the latest in a series of recent research complicating our understanding of human origins.
The authors emphasised that fossils like Yunxian 2 demonstrate how much remains to be learned about our origins. – AFP
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