The phylogenetic position of the Yunxian cranium elucidates the origin of Homo longi and the Denisovans
Fig. 1. Reconstruction of the Yunxian 2 cranium in standard views.
(A to F) Anterior, posterior, inferior, superior, left, and right views, respectively. Brown color indicates the fossil bone. The zygomatic bone and the tip of the left maxilla, as indicated with dark brown, were grafted and reconstructed by incorporating elements of Yunxian 1. White color indicates the reconstructed parts inferred from the fracture edge and Yunxian 1. Neutral gray indicates the bones crushed and covered by other bones and matrix. Scale bar, 5 cm.
Editor’s summary
It is now well known that there were at one time many Homo lineages. Understanding of the differences among these lineages is largely dependent upon crania that are rare and often damaged and deformed by age. Feng et al. reconstructed the 1-million-year-old Yunxian 2 cranium using an approach that allowed for removal of much of the compression and distortion naturally present in the fossil. In doing so, they found that the cranium contained both primitive and derived traits and concluded that it is representative of the H. longi clade, which is sister to H. sapiens and likely contained the Denisovans. —Sacha Vignieri
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This dramatic revision to the human timeline will require close scrutiny. If validated, however, the findings could help resolve some of the biggest mysteries about hominid evolution, including the "muddle in the middle", a confusing mess of puzzling fossils dating back a million years.
The research has been published in Science.
