Another new human species

[Madison5716]

 

Fossils found in China belong to a previously unknown human ancestor • Earth.com

 

Isn't Neanderthal or Denisovans or Homo erectus Huh.

[guyzonthropus]

The fact that they view it as possibly of the early pleistocene, and given its eastern location(in terms of out of africa) gives further credence to a)the idea of ongoing hybridization of hominids along the routes of the exodus, b)the fact that the woefully incomplete fossil record will continue to provide occasional new indicators that our heritage is far more complex than we think, c) that hominids have had 100s of thousands of years to cross over the Bering land bridge when periods of glaciation lowered sea levels by up to 300-400 feet, which therefore d)makes the idea of pleistocene megahominids all the more possible/likely.

And just because only these "recent" forms have been  discovered hardly means no earlier forms passed through on their way east.

I'm thinking that while not all of these hybrids ultimately played into our direct lineage, since no doubt many, if not most, were either reintegrated into more predominent species lines(ie bred into extinction) or hit deadends in regards to shifting ecosystems, it seems possible that what is currently seen as distinctly sapiens DNA may very well prove to be the result of various "integrations" in our convoluted past.

Edited August 17, 2023 by guyzonthropus

[Chim Chim]

Quote

This unique combination of features suggests the possible coexistence of three lineages in Asia during the Middle Pleistocene: Homo Erectus, Denisovan, and a third lineage that seems to be a step closer to Homo sapiens.

Proof once again that if modern humans are the only bipedal hominid currently inhabiting the planet it would be highly unusual indeed.