Million-year-old skull ‘rewrites human evolution’: Yunxian 2, found in China in 1990, indicates Homo sapiens may have emerged 400,000 years earlier

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• Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  The skull suggests Homo sapiens may have diverged from our ancient ancestors 400,000 years earlier than previously thought, and in Asia not Africa, the study, published on Friday, said.

  I’m highly skeptical. If that’s the case why does Africa have the most current genetic diversity of anywhere in the world? We evolved in Asia and sprinted to Africa to genetically diversify, and also for some reason the humans left behind in Asia had a bottleneck? Why are our closest nonhuman relatives in Africa if we didn’t evolve there? Why does so much of the evidence fit Africa if it’s not Africa?

  I find it more likely this was a member of an early population wave out of Africa that failed for some reason.

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  • karashta@piefed.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    “The scientists relied in part on another similar skull to shape their model, and then compared it to more than 100 other specimens.”

    Why use this specific similar skull? How similar was it really? We seem to be talking about fine structures in specific areas of the skull. How do they know they picked the right one to base their reconstruction off of?

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