A highly petrified human right humerus was salvaged from the Taiwan Straits. The large and robust humerus has a well developed deltoid tuberosity that causes the obvious flexion at mid shaft. The axes of the upper and...A highly petrified human right humerus was salvaged from the Taiwan Straits. The large and robust humerus has a well developed deltoid tuberosity that causes the obvious flexion at mid shaft. The axes of the upper and lower parts of the shaft are not on the same line and make an angle of 6 5°. This is considered a primitive trait different from that of Neolithic and modern humans, suggesting that the humerus is at the same evolutionary stage as "Minatogawa Man" from Japan and "Obercassel Man" from Germany. Coexistent fossil mammals indicate that the fossil humerus is late Late Pleistocene.展开更多
In 2024,Ji Qiang et al.established a new species,namely,Homo orientalis,based on the cranium(EV9002)unearthed from the Xuetangliangzi site of Yunxian County,Hubei Province,China,and characterized by developing no sagi...In 2024,Ji Qiang et al.established a new species,namely,Homo orientalis,based on the cranium(EV9002)unearthed from the Xuetangliangzi site of Yunxian County,Hubei Province,China,and characterized by developing no sagittal ridge along the cranial midline and 31-29 teeth orally,which was considered as the last common ancestor of the sapiens lineage and the longi lineage.In 2025,Ji Qiang et al.restudy the fossil human mandible(PA102)unearthed in the Chenjiawozi site of Lantian County,Shaanxi Province,China,which was marked by developing 14 teeth and a receding chin and named as Homo(Parahomo)lantianensis.This paper deals with the Pleistocene human cranium and some remains of ancient human(PA105,1-6)found from Gongwangling site of Lantian County,Shaanxi Province,which are characterized by developing slightly bent brow ridge,more than 14 teeth on the maxilla(the right maxilla with the third molar)and no sagittal ridge along the cranial midline and considered to be Homo orientalis herein.The finding of Homo orientalis in Shaanxi Province clearly shows that the Pleistocene hominins found in Xi′an City,Weinan City and Shiyan City belong to the same population,and those areas are the origin places of the sapiens lineage and the longi lineage.展开更多
An indisputable fact is that human beings originated from Africa,where a nearly complete,but severely deformed fossil human cranium dating back about 7 million years was discovered and named as Sahelanthropus tchadens...An indisputable fact is that human beings originated from Africa,where a nearly complete,but severely deformed fossil human cranium dating back about 7 million years was discovered and named as Sahelanthropus tchadensis,which is the oldest member of Family Hominidae in the world.Homo erectus was the first ancient human to move out of Africa and spread to Asia and Europe.Homo rhodesiensis was found from Africa,and Homo heidelbergensis was found from Europe.The fossils of Homo sapiens dating back about 300,000 years were found in Africa and considered to be the oldest fossil record of Homo sapiens.However,only some fossils of Homo erectus and Late Homo sapiens had been found in East Asia by that point,but Homo heidelbergensis or related human fossils had not been found in East Asia.According to the distribution of human fossils in the world at that time,some scholars suggested that Homo heidelbergensis was not only a descendant of African Homo erectus,but also the common ancestor of Homo sapiens,Homo neanderthalensis and Denisovans,leading to the formulation of the single African origin hypothesis of human beings.Clearly,the hypothesis is based largely on the assumption that Homo erectus in East Asia left no descendants.That is why any new human fossils found in China or East Asia would challenge the hypothesis.The discovery of Homo longi is a case in point.At that time,many scholars questioned the original location of the Harbin cranium,and even suggested that it came from the Middle East or Europe.Recently,we re-examined two Early Pleistocene human skulls(EV9001 and EV9002)from Yunxian County,Hubei Province,the age of which is approximately 0.96 to 1.1 million years.The two fossil human skulls were named as Homo erectus yunxianensis by Li Tianyuan and others in 1991.The cranium of EV9001 is marked by developing no sagittal ridge on the cranial roof and developing 16 teeth on the maxilla.The cranium of EV9002 is characterized by developing no sagittal ridge on the cranial roof and 15 teeth on the maxilla(the right third molar disappeared,the left third molar became small).It is clear that the two fossil human skulls were at a critical appearance time and a critical period of Pleistocene human evolution.We believe that the two fossil human skulls unearthed in Yunxian County,Hubei Province represent not only the common ancestor of the longi lineage and the sapiens lineage,but also the direct evidence of the first descendants of Homo erectus in East Asia.展开更多
The debates over the origin of modern humans have long been centered on two competing theories:the "Out-of-Africa"(single-place origin) theory and the "Multi-regional Evolution" theory.China is an ...The debates over the origin of modern humans have long been centered on two competing theories:the "Out-of-Africa"(single-place origin) theory and the "Multi-regional Evolution" theory.China is an extremely important region where many ancient human fossils were collected along with numerous associated faunal remains and artefacts.These cultural remains,unearthed from different areas in the country and covering a long time span,will help clarify the controversy.The study of cultural materials in China is expected to shed important light on biological evolutionary patterns and social and technical developments of those early humans as well as their environmental conditions.Based on the analysis of Chinese fossils and associated materials,in conjunction with some genetic studies,this paper aims at evaluating each of the two theories in order to stimulate more discussions.Our study suggests that the evolutionary model of "Continuity with Hybridization" is most relevant in reflecting the current understanding of human evolutionary history in China.Furthermore,we propose that the concept of regional diversity of evolutionary models should be seriously considered to illustrate different evolutionary modes applied to different parts of the world.展开更多
It has recently become clear that several human lineages coexisted with Homo sapiens during the late Middle and Late Pleistocene.Here,we report an archaic human fossil that throws new light on debates concerning the d...It has recently become clear that several human lineages coexisted with Homo sapiens during the late Middle and Late Pleistocene.Here,we report an archaic human fossil that throws new light on debates concerning the diversification of the Homo genus and the origin of H.sapiens.The fossil was recovered in Harbin city in northeastern China,with a minimum uranium-series age of 146 ka.This cranium is one of the best preserved Middle Pleistocene human fossils.Its massive size,with a large cranial capacity(1,420 mL)falling in the range of modern humans,is combined with a mosaic of primitive and derived characters.It differs from all the other named Homo species by presenting a combination of features,such as long and low cranial vault,a wide and low face,large and almost square orbits,gently curved but massively developed supraorbital torus,flat and low cheekbones with a shallow canine fossa,and a shallow palate with thick alveolar bone supporting very large molars.The excellent preservation of the Harbin cranium advances our understanding of several less-complete late Middle Pleistocene fossils from China,which have been interpreted as local evolutionary intermediates between the earlier species Homo erectus and later H.sapiens.Phylogenetic analyses based on parsimony criteria and Bayesian tip-dating suggest that the Harbin cranium and some other Middle Pleistocene human fossils from China,such as those from Dali and Xiahe,form a third East Asian lineage,which is a part of the sister group of the H.sapiens lineage.Our analyses of such morphologically distinctive archaic human lineages from Asia,Europe,and Africa suggest that the diversification of the Homo genus may have had a much deeper timescale than previously presumed.Sympatric isolation of small populations combined with stochastic long-distance dispersals is the best fitting biogeographical model for interpreting the evolution of the Homo genus.展开更多
As one of the most complete archaic human fossils,the Harbin cranium provides critical evidence for studying the diversification of the Homo genus and the origin of Homo sapiens.However,the unsystematic recovery of th...As one of the most complete archaic human fossils,the Harbin cranium provides critical evidence for studying the diversification of the Homo genus and the origin of Homo sapiens.However,the unsystematic recovery of this cranium and a long and confused history since the discovery impede its accurate dating.Here,we carried out a series of geochemical analyses,including non-destructive X-ray fluorescence(XRF),rare earth elements(REE),and the Sr isotopes,to test the reported provenance of the Harbin cranium and get better stratigraphic constraints.The results show that the Harbin cranium has very similar XRF element distribution patterns,REE concentration patterns,and Sr isotopic compositions to those of the Middle Pleistocene-Holocene mammalian and human fossils recently recovered from the Harbin area.The sediments adhered in the nasal cavity of the Harbin cranium have a 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.711898,falling in the variation range measured in a core drilled near the Dongjiang Bridge,where the cranium was discovered during its reconstruction.The regional stratigraphic correlations indicate that the Harbin cranium was probably from the upper part of the Upper Huangshan Formation of the Harbin area,which has an optically stimulated luminescence dating constraint between 138 and 309 ka.U-series disequilibrium dating(n=10)directly on the cranium suggests that the cranium is older than 146 ka.The multiple lines of evidence from our experiments consistently support the theory that the Harbin cranium is from the late Middle Pleistocene of the Harbin area.Our study also shows that geochemical approaches can provide reliable evidence for locating and dating unsystematically recovered human fossils,and potentially can be applied to other human fossils without clear provenance and stratigraphy records.展开更多
文摘A highly petrified human right humerus was salvaged from the Taiwan Straits. The large and robust humerus has a well developed deltoid tuberosity that causes the obvious flexion at mid shaft. The axes of the upper and lower parts of the shaft are not on the same line and make an angle of 6 5°. This is considered a primitive trait different from that of Neolithic and modern humans, suggesting that the humerus is at the same evolutionary stage as "Minatogawa Man" from Japan and "Obercassel Man" from Germany. Coexistent fossil mammals indicate that the fossil humerus is late Late Pleistocene.
文摘In 2024,Ji Qiang et al.established a new species,namely,Homo orientalis,based on the cranium(EV9002)unearthed from the Xuetangliangzi site of Yunxian County,Hubei Province,China,and characterized by developing no sagittal ridge along the cranial midline and 31-29 teeth orally,which was considered as the last common ancestor of the sapiens lineage and the longi lineage.In 2025,Ji Qiang et al.restudy the fossil human mandible(PA102)unearthed in the Chenjiawozi site of Lantian County,Shaanxi Province,China,which was marked by developing 14 teeth and a receding chin and named as Homo(Parahomo)lantianensis.This paper deals with the Pleistocene human cranium and some remains of ancient human(PA105,1-6)found from Gongwangling site of Lantian County,Shaanxi Province,which are characterized by developing slightly bent brow ridge,more than 14 teeth on the maxilla(the right maxilla with the third molar)and no sagittal ridge along the cranial midline and considered to be Homo orientalis herein.The finding of Homo orientalis in Shaanxi Province clearly shows that the Pleistocene hominins found in Xi′an City,Weinan City and Shiyan City belong to the same population,and those areas are the origin places of the sapiens lineage and the longi lineage.
文摘An indisputable fact is that human beings originated from Africa,where a nearly complete,but severely deformed fossil human cranium dating back about 7 million years was discovered and named as Sahelanthropus tchadensis,which is the oldest member of Family Hominidae in the world.Homo erectus was the first ancient human to move out of Africa and spread to Asia and Europe.Homo rhodesiensis was found from Africa,and Homo heidelbergensis was found from Europe.The fossils of Homo sapiens dating back about 300,000 years were found in Africa and considered to be the oldest fossil record of Homo sapiens.However,only some fossils of Homo erectus and Late Homo sapiens had been found in East Asia by that point,but Homo heidelbergensis or related human fossils had not been found in East Asia.According to the distribution of human fossils in the world at that time,some scholars suggested that Homo heidelbergensis was not only a descendant of African Homo erectus,but also the common ancestor of Homo sapiens,Homo neanderthalensis and Denisovans,leading to the formulation of the single African origin hypothesis of human beings.Clearly,the hypothesis is based largely on the assumption that Homo erectus in East Asia left no descendants.That is why any new human fossils found in China or East Asia would challenge the hypothesis.The discovery of Homo longi is a case in point.At that time,many scholars questioned the original location of the Harbin cranium,and even suggested that it came from the Middle East or Europe.Recently,we re-examined two Early Pleistocene human skulls(EV9001 and EV9002)from Yunxian County,Hubei Province,the age of which is approximately 0.96 to 1.1 million years.The two fossil human skulls were named as Homo erectus yunxianensis by Li Tianyuan and others in 1991.The cranium of EV9001 is marked by developing no sagittal ridge on the cranial roof and developing 16 teeth on the maxilla.The cranium of EV9002 is characterized by developing no sagittal ridge on the cranial roof and 15 teeth on the maxilla(the right third molar disappeared,the left third molar became small).It is clear that the two fossil human skulls were at a critical appearance time and a critical period of Pleistocene human evolution.We believe that the two fossil human skulls unearthed in Yunxian County,Hubei Province represent not only the common ancestor of the longi lineage and the sapiens lineage,but also the direct evidence of the first descendants of Homo erectus in East Asia.
基金supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB806400)Specific Basic Research Program of Ministry of Sciences and Technology of China (Grant No. 2007FY110200)+2 种基金Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-Q1-04)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. J0603965)CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams, and Royal Ontario Museum Research Grant
文摘The debates over the origin of modern humans have long been centered on two competing theories:the "Out-of-Africa"(single-place origin) theory and the "Multi-regional Evolution" theory.China is an extremely important region where many ancient human fossils were collected along with numerous associated faunal remains and artefacts.These cultural remains,unearthed from different areas in the country and covering a long time span,will help clarify the controversy.The study of cultural materials in China is expected to shed important light on biological evolutionary patterns and social and technical developments of those early humans as well as their environmental conditions.Based on the analysis of Chinese fossils and associated materials,in conjunction with some genetic studies,this paper aims at evaluating each of the two theories in order to stimulate more discussions.Our study suggests that the evolutionary model of "Continuity with Hybridization" is most relevant in reflecting the current understanding of human evolutionary history in China.Furthermore,we propose that the concept of regional diversity of evolutionary models should be seriously considered to illustrate different evolutionary modes applied to different parts of the world.
基金This project has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41842039,41625005,41888101,41988101,41877430,41977380)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)(XDB26030300,XDA20070203,XDA19050100)+3 种基金the People’s Government of Hebei Province(Z20177187)the China Geological Survey(DD20190601)the Science Foundation of Hebei GEO University(TS2017-001)the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(2019QZKK0705).
文摘It has recently become clear that several human lineages coexisted with Homo sapiens during the late Middle and Late Pleistocene.Here,we report an archaic human fossil that throws new light on debates concerning the diversification of the Homo genus and the origin of H.sapiens.The fossil was recovered in Harbin city in northeastern China,with a minimum uranium-series age of 146 ka.This cranium is one of the best preserved Middle Pleistocene human fossils.Its massive size,with a large cranial capacity(1,420 mL)falling in the range of modern humans,is combined with a mosaic of primitive and derived characters.It differs from all the other named Homo species by presenting a combination of features,such as long and low cranial vault,a wide and low face,large and almost square orbits,gently curved but massively developed supraorbital torus,flat and low cheekbones with a shallow canine fossa,and a shallow palate with thick alveolar bone supporting very large molars.The excellent preservation of the Harbin cranium advances our understanding of several less-complete late Middle Pleistocene fossils from China,which have been interpreted as local evolutionary intermediates between the earlier species Homo erectus and later H.sapiens.Phylogenetic analyses based on parsimony criteria and Bayesian tip-dating suggest that the Harbin cranium and some other Middle Pleistocene human fossils from China,such as those from Dali and Xiahe,form a third East Asian lineage,which is a part of the sister group of the H.sapiens lineage.Our analyses of such morphologically distinctive archaic human lineages from Asia,Europe,and Africa suggest that the diversification of the Homo genus may have had a much deeper timescale than previously presumed.Sympatric isolation of small populations combined with stochastic long-distance dispersals is the best fitting biogeographical model for interpreting the evolution of the Homo genus.
基金This project has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41977380,41877430,41842039,41625005,41888101,41988101)the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS XDB26030400,XDB26030300,XDA20070203,XDA19050100)+3 种基金the People’s Government of Hebei Province(Z20177187)the China Geological Survey(DD20190601)the Science Foundation of Hebei GEO University(TS2017-001)the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(2019QZKK0705)。
文摘As one of the most complete archaic human fossils,the Harbin cranium provides critical evidence for studying the diversification of the Homo genus and the origin of Homo sapiens.However,the unsystematic recovery of this cranium and a long and confused history since the discovery impede its accurate dating.Here,we carried out a series of geochemical analyses,including non-destructive X-ray fluorescence(XRF),rare earth elements(REE),and the Sr isotopes,to test the reported provenance of the Harbin cranium and get better stratigraphic constraints.The results show that the Harbin cranium has very similar XRF element distribution patterns,REE concentration patterns,and Sr isotopic compositions to those of the Middle Pleistocene-Holocene mammalian and human fossils recently recovered from the Harbin area.The sediments adhered in the nasal cavity of the Harbin cranium have a 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.711898,falling in the variation range measured in a core drilled near the Dongjiang Bridge,where the cranium was discovered during its reconstruction.The regional stratigraphic correlations indicate that the Harbin cranium was probably from the upper part of the Upper Huangshan Formation of the Harbin area,which has an optically stimulated luminescence dating constraint between 138 and 309 ka.U-series disequilibrium dating(n=10)directly on the cranium suggests that the cranium is older than 146 ka.The multiple lines of evidence from our experiments consistently support the theory that the Harbin cranium is from the late Middle Pleistocene of the Harbin area.Our study also shows that geochemical approaches can provide reliable evidence for locating and dating unsystematically recovered human fossils,and potentially can be applied to other human fossils without clear provenance and stratigraphy records.
