https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/sep/25/study-of-1m-year-old-skull-points-to-earlier-origins-of-modern-humans [p] Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/1Next imagePrevious imageToggle caption Skip to navigation Print subscriptions Newsletters Sign in US[ ] * US edition * UK edition * Australia edition * Europe edition * International edition The Guardian - Back to home [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Show moreHide expanded menu * [ ]News + View all News + US news + US politics + World news + Climate crisis + Middle East + Ukraine + US immigration + Soccer + Business + Environment + Tech + Science + Newsletters + Wellness * [ ]Opinion + View all Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Letters + Opinion videos + Cartoons * [ ]Sport + View all Sport + Soccer + NFL + Tennis + MLB + MLS + NBA + WNBA + NHL + F1 + Golf * [ ]Culture + View all Culture + Film + Books + Music + Art & design + TV & radio + Stage + Classical + Games * [ ]Lifestyle + View all Lifestyle + The Filter + Wellness + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Home & garden + Health & fitness + Family + Travel + Money * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Support us + Print subscriptions + Newsletters + Download the app * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + Live events + About Us + The Guardian app + Video + Podcasts + Pictures + Inside the Guardian + Guardian Weekly + Crosswords + Wordiply + Corrections + Tips * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + Live events + About Us * US news * US politics * World * Climate crisis * Middle East * Ukraine * US immigration * Soccer * Business * Environment * Tech * Science * Newsletters * Wellness An artist's impression of Homo longi [ ] An artist's impression of what Homo longi, or dragon man, may have looked like. Photograph: Chuang Zhao/Eurekalert/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen An artist's impression of what Homo longi, or dragon man, may have looked like. Photograph: Chuang Zhao/Eurekalert/AFP/Getty Images Anthropology Study of 1m-year-old skull points to earlier origins of modern humans Skull found in China may be Homo longi, potentially revising understanding of human evolution Hannah Devlin Science correspondent Thu 25 Sep 2025 14.00 EDTLast modified on Fri 26 Sep 2025 02.37 EDT Share A million-year-old human skull suggests that the origins of modern humans may reach back far deeper in time than previously thought and raises the possibility that Homo sapiens first emerged outside of Africa. Leading scientists reached this conclusion after reanalysis of a skull known as Yunxian 2 discovered in China and previously classified as belonging to a member of the primitive human species Homo erectus. After applying sophisticated reconstruction techniques to the skull, scientists believe that it may instead belong to a group called Homo longi (dragon man), closely linked to the elusive Denisovans who lived alongside our own ancestors. This repositioning would make the fossil the closest on record to the split between modern humans and our closest relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, and would radically revise understanding of the last 1m years of human evolution. Prof Chris Stringer, an anthropologist and research leader in human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London, said: "This changes a lot of thinking because it suggests that by 1m years ago our ancestors had already split into distinct groups, pointing to a much earlier and more complex human evolutionary split than previously believed. It more or less doubles the time of origin of Homo sapiens." The skull was first unearthed in Hubei province in 1990, badly crushed and difficult to interpret. Based on its age and some broad-brush traits, it was assigned as Homo erectus, a group that is thought to have contained direct ancestors of modern humans. The latest work used advanced CT imaging, high-resolution surface scanning and sophisticated digital techniques to produce a virtual reconstruction of the skull. The skull's large, squat brain case and jutting lower jaw are reminiscent of Homo erectus. But the overall shape and size of the brain case and teeth appear to place it much closer to Homo longi, a species that scientists have recently argued should incorporate the Denisovans. This would push the split between our own ancestors, Neanderthals and Homo longi back by at least 400,000 years and, according to Springer, raises the possibility that our common ancestor - and potentially the first Homo sapiens - lived in western Asia rather than Africa. "This fossil is the closest we've got to the ancestor of all those groups," Stringer said. A computational analysis of a wider selection of fossils suggests that in the last 800,000 years, large-brained humans evolved along just five major branches: Asian erectus, heidelbergensis, sapiens, Neanderthals and Homo longi (including the Denisovans). "We feel that this study is a landmark step towards resolving the 'muddle in the middle' [the confusing array of human fossils from between 1m and 300,000 years ago] that has preoccupied palaeoanthropologists for decades," Stringer said. The findings run counter to some recent analyses based on genetic comparisons of living humans and ancient DNA, meaning the conclusions are likely to be contentious. Dr Frido Welker, an associate professor in human evolution at the University of Copenhagen, who was not involved in the research, said: "It's exciting to have a digital reconstruction of this important cranium available. If confirmed by additional fossils and genetic evidence, the divergence dating would be surprising indeed. Alternatively, molecular data from the specimen itself could provide insights confirming or disproving the authors' morphological hypothesis." The findings are published in the journal Science. 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