Overview
- The new timeline makes the Yunxian crania the oldest in situ evidence of this species documented in eastern Asia.
- Aluminum-26 and beryllium-10 measured in quartz from the fossil layer were used to calculate burial time on a multimillion-year scale.
- The age closely tracks Dmanisi in Georgia, reinforcing models of a rapid early dispersal from Africa across Eurasia.
- Researchers note the Chinese skulls show larger brain size than roughly coeval Dmanisi fossils, indicating early regional variation.
- Despite the revision, a roughly 600,000-year gap remains between these fossils and China’s oldest reported stone tools, and several scientists urge further dating and fieldwork.