Āé¶¹“«Ć½

Humans

Ancient skull from China may rewrite the origins of our species

By Colin Barras

14 November 2017

Dali skull

What can the Dali skull tell us?

Sheela Athreya

The origins of our species mightĀ need a rethink. An analysis of an ancientĀ skull from China suggests it is eerily similarĀ to the earliestĀ knownĀ fossilsĀ of our species –foundĀ in Morocco,Ā some 10,000 kilometres to theĀ west.Ā The skull hints that modern humans aren’t solely descended from African ancestors, as is generally thought.

Most anthropologists believe, based on fossil evidence, that our species arose in Africa around 200,000 years ago. What’s more, genetic studies of modern humans indicate that we are all descended from a single population…

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