Million-Year-Old Skull Found In Asia Rewrites Human Evolution, Scientists Claim

[Prince.Skeletor]

ChatGTP5 (automated).

"Yunxian’s DNA has not survived. Its morphology suggests Denisovan affinities, making it indirectly tied to Denisovan genomes — but only genetics from younger fossils confirm this."

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Genetic vs Morphological Evidence in Human Evolution (with sources)​

Group	Fossil Age Range	DNA Evidence	Morphological Evidence	Notes	Key Sources
Homo sapiens	~300 ka – present	Yes – full genomes (ancient & modern). Earliest aDNA ~45–50 ka (Ust’-Ishim, Oase).	Globular skull, small brow ridges, chin.	Africa origin; OoA ~60–70 ka; admixture with Neanderthals & Denisovans.	Fu et al. 2014 Nature; Prüfer et al. 2017 Nature
Neanderthals	~400–40 ka	Yes – multiple genomes (Vindija, Altai, Mezmaiskaya, Sima de los Huesos up to 400 ka).	Mid-facial prognathism, occipital bun, robust skulls.	Diverged from sapiens ~600–800 ka; 1–2% of DNA in all non-Africans.	Meyer et al. 2016 Nature; Prüfer et al. 2014 Nature
Denisovans	~400–160 ka (fossils younger)	Yes – genomes from finger bone, teeth (Denisova Cave, Baishiya).	Fragmentary bones/teeth only; no full skull.	Diverged from Neanderthals ~400 ka; DNA in Asians, Melanesians, Tibetans.	Reich et al. 2010 Nature; Meyer et al. 2012 Science; Chen et al. 2019 Nature
Homo longi (Harbin skull etc.)	~146 ka (Harbin), older lineage suggested	No DNA yet.	Large skull (~1,420 cc), flat face, massive brow.	Proposed Denisovan-related Asian clade.	Ji et al. 2021 The Innovation
Yunxian 1 & 2 (China)	~0.94–1.10 Ma	No DNA (too old).	Long low vault, broad face, ~1,143 cc brain; mosaic erectus + sapiens traits.	Placed as basal member of longi/Denisovanclade, sister to sapiens.	Zanolli et al. 2025 bioRxiv preprint
Homo erectus	~1.8 Ma – ~100 ka	No DNA (too old).	Long low skull, thick cranial bones, 600–1100 cc brain.	Ancestral widespread species.	Antón 2003 Evolutionary Anthropology
Homo antecessor (Spain)	~800 ka	Proteins (enamel), no DNA.	Modern-like mid-face, mix of archaic features.	Proteomics: closer to sapiens than Neanderthals.	Welker et al. 2020 Nature

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Key Points​

• DNA survival ceiling: ~400,000 years (Sima de los Huesos, Neanderthals).
• Proteomics extends window to ~800,000 years (H. antecessor).
• Yunxian (~1 Ma): too old for DNA or proteins so far → known only from CT reconstruction + morphology.
• Placement: Near the root of sapiens + Denisovan lineages.

Props
Did not know this!!