Oldest Homo Erectus Fossils Found in China Push Back East Asian Human Origins
A new study employing cosmogenic nuclide burial dating has revealed that the Yunxian Homo erectus fossils from China are approximately 1.77 million years old, significantly older than previously estimated. This makes them the oldest evidence of hominins in East Asia, potentially pushing back the origin of Homo erectus to around 2.6 million years ago. While the Yunxian skulls are similar in age to fossils found in Georgia, they exhibit larger brains, suggesting early hominin diversity outside of Africa. However, some researchers express caution regarding this revised dating, emphasizing the need for further investigation.
John Q. Hosedrinker