Overview

• Researchers date the Yunxian 2 skull from Hubei, China, to roughly 940,000 to more than one million years ago.
• CT scans, digital deformation correction and 3D printing restored the crushed fossil’s shape for comparisons with over 100 hominin specimens.
• Analyses suggest the skull does not fit classic Homo erectus and instead aligns with a distinct Asian lineage related to Denisovans and the proposed Homo longi.
• The work, led by Xijun Ni with co-director Chris Stringer, implies a deeper divergence among major Homo branches than some genetic estimates indicate.
• External experts urge caution because Yunxian 2 has not yielded ancient DNA, highlighting the need for molecular tests and additional fossils.