Newly Discovered Human Species, Homo juluensis, Rewrites East Asian Evolutionary History
Beijing, China – A groundbreaking discovery in China is reshaping our understanding of humanโข evolution. Scientistsโ have identified โa previously unknown human species, Homo juluensis, which roamed East Asia approximately โค200,000 years ago beforeโค becoming extinct. the find, detailed in a new study published โin Nature, underscores the remarkable complexity โคof the human family tree and highlights a previously underestimated โฃlevel of diversity in the region.
Theโ fossils, unearthedโ at the Xujiayao site, represent the remains of at least 16 โindividuals. Homo โฃjuluensis โpossessed a unique combinationโฃ of โฃfeatures, โmost notablyโข a substantially larger skull and substantially larger teeth than both Neanderthals โand modern humans. Skull capacity ranged from 103 to 109 cubicโ inches – exceeding theโค 88 cubic inches typical of Neanderthals and the 82 cubic inches of homo sapiens.
“Recentโ research initiativesโ in China, and wider East Asia,โ show clearly that several homininโข lineages were presentโข during the Late Quaternary,” explainsโ study author Christopher Bae, emphasizing the growing body of evidence for a more โคintricate evolutionary landscape than previously imagined. the Late Quaternary period, โขbeginning aroundโฃ 300,000 years ago, was a time of dramatic climate โคfluctuations, includingโค intenseโฃ glacial periods that presented significant challenges to survival.
A Lifeโค Adapted toโ Harsh Conditions
Evidence suggests