Historic New Archaeological Find in China Could Rewrite Human Evolution

Paleo-anthropologist Xiujie Wu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and anthropologist Christopher Bae, in a new paper, have proposed a provocative new theory: Some human fossils from Asia may be Neanderthals. We already know that Neanderthals migrated all the way to the Altai Mountains, a mountain range in Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge. But just how large was their geographic range?

The Maba cranium and the Narmada cranium are two critical fossils from the Middle Pleistocene that have provoked considerable debate regarding their classification. While traditionally they have been categorized simply as archaic hominins, their anatomical features and temporal context suggest potential evolutionary links to Neanderthals. This video explores the evidence for and against their classification as Neanderthals, examining their anatomical traits, environmental adaptations, and the broader implications for understanding human evolution during this period.

SOURCES:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4146...
https://www.livescience.com/archaeolo...