Scientists make mind-blowing discovery that disproves everything we know about early humans

The human race is even older than we thought, and a new discovery has changed everything we thought we knew about our species’ earliest days walking on Earth.

A major discovery analysed in a new paper has shown that we’ve been getting the dates of earliest human inception entirely wrong – out by up to 400,000 years, in fact.

The new research now suggests that humans emerged more than one million years ago, which is far earlier than the 600,000 year figure previously put forward.

The earlier days of Homo sapiens were questioned in the new research, which revolves around the discovery of a skull fossil first uncovered in China back in 1990.

While the finding was made a long time ago, the implications are only just being realised.

What does the study focus on?

The study, which is published in the journal Science, delves into the origins of the fossilised cranium, known as Yunxian 2, which was discovered crushed by excavators in Hubei, China.

It was previously thought that the fossil belonged to the species Homo erectus, the first species to walk upright, which preceded Homo sapiens and dates back two million years ago.

However, further study of the distinctive facial features has led experts to claim that the remains actually resemble later species like Homo sapiens.

So, 35 years after its initial uncovering, the remains actually belong to an ancient Chinese lineage that originated more than one million years ago, the experts claim.

Who was behind the study?

Study author Professor Chris Stringer is an anthropologist at the National History Museum, who worked on the study alongside scientists at Fudan University in Shanghai and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

He said: “Our research reveals that Yunxian 2 is not Homo erectus, but an early member of the longi clade and linked to the Denisovans [an extinct group of archaic humans].

“This changes a lot of thinking because it suggests that by one million 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’s an incredible development, which proves we’re learning new things about our species all the time.

It comes after it was reported that scientists believe they may have pinpointed the exact spot where all human life originated.

Why not read…

• Ancient 5,500 year old factory 'confirms key part of the Bible'
• ‘World’s oldest pyramid' was not made by humans, archaeologists claim

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