The peer-reviewed journal Science published a study describing the digital resurrection of Yunxian 2, a crushed skull unearthed near Yunxian in China’s Hubei province. Re-dated to between 940,000 and 1.1 million years old and reassigned to Homo longi, the specimen could shift the appearance of large-brained humans back at least 500,000 years.
Discovered in 1990 alongside two other damaged crania, Yunxian 2 had sat in storage, labeled Homo erectus. A joint British-Chinese team employed high-resolution CT scans, three-dimensional modeling, and replica printing to correct geological distortion and rebuild the skull.
“From the beginning, when we received the result, we thought it was unbelievable. How could that be so far in the past?” said Professor Xijun Ni, a paleoanthropologist at Fudan University who co-led the study, according to BBC News. “But we tested it again and again, examined all the models, used all the methods, and now we are sure of the result and we are really excited.”
“There is genetic evidence pointing to the even earlier appearance of our species, which could have recombined with our lineage, but this is not yet proven,” said Professor Chris Stringer of London’s Natural History Museum, a co-author, speaking to the same outlet. He added, “This discovery suggests that a million years ago our ancestors had already diversified into distinct groups, which practically doubles the time of origin of Homo sapiens.”
The researchers argued that Homo sapiens, Homo longi, and Neanderthals may each have existed for roughly 800,000 years, interacting and interbreeding far longer than previously thought. Such early branching could explain Middle Pleistocene fossils across Asia and Europe that defy classification.
Skepticism persists. “When estimating time periods, you have to be very cautious because it’s very difficult, whether you’re looking at genetic evidence or fossil evidence,” said evolutionary geneticist Dr. Aylwyn Scally of Cambridge University, according to BBC News. He noted that genetic confirmation would boost confidence in the timeline.
Independent specialists agree Yunxian 2 is not Homo erectus but question the shape-analysis algorithms and statistical modeling that yielded the early date. DNA is unlikely to survive in fossils of this age, so any assignment remains provisional.
The team scanned each fragment, digitally removed rock, reversed warping, and printed life-size replicas. Comparison with more than 100 hominin fossils revealed a mix of archaic traits and modern features such as flat, low cheekbones and a wide palate.
Stringer acknowledged that contemporaneous remains from Africa and Europe need review under identical protocols before the proposed chronology gains broad acceptance. Ongoing advances in CT scanning and dating techniques are expected to deepen the debate over humanity’s origins.
The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.