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'Dragon Man' skull found in China may add species to human family tree
SPOTLIGHT AP
'Dragon Man' skull found in China may add species to human family tree
By Katie Hunt, CNN Jun 25, 2021
A cranium found at the bottom of a well in northeastern China may belong to a new species of early human that researchers have called "Dragon Man."
The exciting discovery is the latest addition to a human family tree that is rapidly growing and shifting, thanks to new fossil finds and analysis of ancient DNA preserved in teeth, bones and cave dirt.
The well-preserved skullcap, found in the Chinese city of Harbin, is between 138,000 and 309,000 years old, according to geochemical analysis, and it combines primitive features, such as a broad nose and low brow and braincase, with those that are more similar to Homo sapiens, including flat and delicate cheekbones.
The ancient hominin, which researchers said was "probably" a 50-year-old man, would have had an "extremely wide" face, deep eyes with large eye sockets, big teeth and a brain similar in size to modern humans. ... Three papers detailing the find were published in the journal The Innovation on Friday.
{snip}
'Dragon Man' skull found in China may add species to human family tree
By Katie Hunt, CNN Jun 25, 2021
A cranium found at the bottom of a well in northeastern China may belong to a new species of early human that researchers have called "Dragon Man."
The exciting discovery is the latest addition to a human family tree that is rapidly growing and shifting, thanks to new fossil finds and analysis of ancient DNA preserved in teeth, bones and cave dirt.
The well-preserved skullcap, found in the Chinese city of Harbin, is between 138,000 and 309,000 years old, according to geochemical analysis, and it combines primitive features, such as a broad nose and low brow and braincase, with those that are more similar to Homo sapiens, including flat and delicate cheekbones.
The ancient hominin, which researchers said was "probably" a 50-year-old man, would have had an "extremely wide" face, deep eyes with large eye sockets, big teeth and a brain similar in size to modern humans. ... Three papers detailing the find were published in the journal The Innovation on Friday.
{snip}