Human Skull Of 'Dragon Man' Is Disrupting Human Evolution As We Know It: Here's How

A fossilised skull unearthed in central China more than 30 years ago has been digitally reconstructed, offering striking new insights into the story of human evolution.

Researchers suggest the specimen, known as Yunxian 2, is part of the same lineage as the disputed 'Dragon Man' species and the Denisovans, ancient cousins of modern humans. Dated between 940,000 and 1.1 million years old, the skull may push back the point at which our lineage diverged from theirs.

If confirmed, the findings could force a rethink of the human family tree. Yet many experts caution the conclusions rest on limited evidence and may overstate the fossil's role in redrawing evolutionary history.

A Skull Reborn

The fossil was first discovered on a riverbank in Yunxian, Hubei Province, between 1989 and 1990. Two damaged skulls were found, with Yunxian 2 better preserved than the first. For decades it was regarded as an example of Homo erectus, the category often applied to ancient remains in East Asia.

A new study has used CT scanning and virtual imaging to rebuild the skull in three dimensions, correcting distortions caused by millennia underground. The reconstruction revealed a squat braincase, broad face and flatter cheekbones, traits that differ from classic Homo erectus.

Researchers writing in Science argue that these features link Yunxian 2 more closely to Homo longi, nicknamed Dragon Man, and the Denisovans, who lived in Asia before disappearing tens of thousands of years ago.

Rethinking the Family Tree

To test their hypothesis, the team compared more than 100 skulls and jaws from Africa and Eurasia using phylogenetic modelling. Their analysis suggests that the line leading to modern humans split from the Dragon Man and Denisovan branch around one million years ago.

Professor Chris Stringer, a palaeoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London and a co-author of the study, told The Guardian, 'This changes a lot of thinking, because it suggests that by one million years ago our ancestors had already split into distinct groups.'

The study places Yunxian 2 as part of a sister lineage to Homo sapiens, rather than a direct descendant of Homo erectus.

Debate and Scepticism

Not all researchers are convinced. Ryan McRae, a palaeoanthropologist at the Smithsonian Institution, told CNN that while the analysis was 'plausible', the team had 'tried to do too much at once in redrawing entire lineages'. Other scientists point out that Dragon Man itself remains controversial, and assigning other fossils to the same group requires stronger evidence.

The authors acknowledge the limits of their work. With DNA unobtainable from remains this old, the study relies entirely on physical traits and computational models.

The Road Ahead

A third Yunxian skull found in 2022 has yet to be fully analysed, but researchers hope it will confirm whether the new classification holds.

For now, Yunxian 2 has reignited debate over what some experts call the 'muddle in the middle' of human evolution. If the reassessment is validated, it would suggest modern humans diverged from their extinct cousins much earlier than previously thought. But with doubts persisting, the evolutionary story remains far from complete.

Originally published on IBTimes UK