Dating back to 110,000 years ago, a human fossil found in China could provide evidence disputing the theory that all modern day humans originally came from Africa.
Last week, China’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology announced the discovery. Comprising of a human jawbone fragment, the fossil was found a year ago in southern China’s Guangxi pronvince.
Jin Changzhu, a researcher with the institute, said the find was especially important since very few human fossils from this evolutionary period have been found in China. He added that the jawbone is that of an early modern human, but it also bears the traits of our more primitive ancestors.
“The chin protrudes out like a Homo sapiens would, but the jaw also slopes in way like that of a Homo erectus,” he said.
Not Out of Africa Theory
Wu Xinzhi, a professor with the institute, said he believes the discovery presents evidence to challenge the “Out of Africa” hypothesis.
This theory, which is more commonly held among scientists, argues that modern day humans directly descended from ancestors on the African continent. They then started to migrate across the globe around 60,000 years ago and replaced the more primitive humans.
“If this is true, then in China, we should not be able to find a mandible (jaw) of a fossil with modern features older than 60,000 years,” Wu said. “But this Guangxi mandible is 110,000 years old. This means that this ‘Out of Africa’ theory is not true, at least not for China.”
Instead, Wu said the fossil find lends support to another theory called the multiregional hypothesis. Under this scenario, humanity’s ancestors from Africa spread themselves across other continents by interbreeding with other primitive humans and evolving regionally. The blend of modern human and Homo erectus characteristics of the fossil found in China provides evidence for this Wu said.