Skull of Homo sapien. Photo: DeAgostini/Getty Images
Scientists on Friday announced that a 146,000-year-old massive fossilized skull is a new species of ancient human, according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: The discovery of the new species — dubbed Homo longi, or "Dragon Man" — could challenge existing theories on human evolution, per the NYT. Researchers say the discovery could replace Neanderthals as the closest relative to Homo sapiens, according to NBC News.
Yes, but: Some experts dispute the conclusion published in three papers.
Experts still say that the discovery could help scientists reconstruct the human family tree and explain how modern humans emerged.
- The skull, which belonged to a mature male who boasted a big brain and massive brow ridges, was given called "Dragon man," named for the Dragon River region of northeast China where the skull was found.
What they're saying: “It is widely believed that the Neanderthal belongs to an extinct lineage that is the closest relative of our own species," Xijun Ni, a co-author of the studies and a paleoanthropologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Hebei GEO University said in a news release.
- "However, our discovery suggests that the new lineage we identified that includes Homo longi is the actual sister group of H. sapiens.”
- “It’s a beautiful thing,” John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the NYT. “It’s very rare to find a fossil like this, with a face in good condition. You dream of finding this stuff.”