Fossils Found in China Come from a Huge Human Ancestor, Scientists Say

A pair of scientists who study hominin fossils and human evolution in China and East Asia claim to have discovered a new human ancestor that appeared during the Late Quaternary or Middle Pleistocene era, about 300,000 years ago. They have named this species Homo juluensis, which is in reference to the unusually large size of this theoretical addition to the official hominin roster (ju lu means “huge head” in Chinese).

This discovery did not emerge as a result of any amazing new fossil finds. In fact, the fossils that the scientists say prove the existence of the new species were recovered in the 1970s at the Xujiayao archaeological site in China, which sits on the border between the provinces of Hebei and Shanxi in the northern part of the country. It was a fresh re-examination of these fossils that led to the discovery of the new species, although more research will be needed to prove to everyone’s satisfaction that Homo juluensis really did exist.

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