The layperson frequently regards human ancestry as a finished topic. That, however, is not the case. To add to the intrigue, an ancient skull is now perplexing scientists with its similar but not entirely familiar traits to current humans. According to a Science Alert story, the mystery skull belonged to a youngster who lived roughly 300,000 years ago.
According to experts at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), who are working with scientists from China’s Xi’an Jiaotong University, the United Kingdom’s University of York, and Spain’s National Research Center on Human Evolution, this could be the finding of a new branch of humans.
The astounding finding
The skull in issue was discovered some years ago. Along with it, scientists discovered mouth and leg bones. The remains were discovered in Hualondong, East China, and belong to a child aged 12 to 13 years.
Scientists are baffled since they can’t link it to any known human ancestry. The skull has little resemblance to Neanderthals, Denisovans, or ourselves (modern humans). However, it does share some characteristics with other lineages. This implies that the hominin or human family tree may require an additional branch.
The skull appears to represent a mosaic of physical traits, indicating the coexistence of three distinct lineages in Asia
According to the research published in the Journal of Human Evolution, the skull is nearly complete with a half cranium and nearly the entire mandible and is similarly constructed to the contemporary human lineage.
The authors state in their analysis that while its face possesses modern human-like features, its limbs, skull cap, and mouth “seem to reflect more primitive traits.” It also lacks a chin, resembling a Denisovan, a race that previously existed in Asia but is now extinct.
This complicates the identifying process. The skull appears to represent a mosaic of physical traits, indicating the coexistence of three distinct lineages in Asia — H. erectus, Denisovan, and this new “phylogenetically close” branch to us.
What is the name of this new human?
Scientists have yet to classify this ostensibly new hominid branch. For the time being, it’s been labeled HLD 6 — HLD stands for Hualongdong, where the skull was discovered.
Homo sapiens, or “wise humans,” did not appear in China until about 120,000 years ago. According to CAS Scientists, this ‘found’ lineage may represent the historic discovery of a totally new lineage–a mix between the branch that brought us modern humans and the branch that gave us other ancient hominins in the vicinity.