Ancient skull challenges our understanding of human evolution
A digital reconstruction of Yunxian 2—a skull found in China and dating back nearly a million years—has scientists rethinking where and when our ancestors split off.
The fossil, first dug up in 1990, mixes features from different ancient humans, hinting that big parts of our family tree might have branched out in Asia much earlier than we thought.
The Yunxian 2 skull
This skull stands out with its long, low braincase, large brain size, flat cheekbones, and wide nose.
Those details don't quite fit the old story that all major human lineages split only in Africa—they suggest Asia was a major player too.
As researcher Chris Stringer notes, these features are distinct from those seen in Neanderthals, highlighting how complex early human history really is.
A new chapter in human history
Yunxian 2 helps fill gaps about when and where our ancestors evolved.
While scientists still need genetic data for the full picture, this find could push back key moments in human history by hundreds of thousands of years—and open up new questions about how we became who we are.