Science Friday Anthropologists Have A Bone To Pick With New Skull Finding
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Oct 3, 2025 Dr. John Hawks, an esteemed anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, delves into a controversial new analysis of an ancient skull from China that threatens to rewrite the human evolutionary timeline. He discusses how the skull's features suggest an earlier emergence of Homo sapiens and our relatives. Skepticism reigns in the field, prompting John to stress the importance of fossils and DNA in shaping our understanding of human ancestry. The conversation unfolds around the implications of this finding for our perception of human diversity and adaptation.
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Yunshan Skull Rebuild Suggests Earlier Modern Traits
- The Yunshan skull from central China was highly crushed and reconstructed to reveal anatomy linking it to later Chinese fossils called Homo longi.
- Authors claim this lineage may have existed before a million years ago and persisted until at least ~200,000 years ago.
Fossil Claim Could Conflict With Genetic Timelines
- There is no DNA from the Yunshan skull, and DNA that we do have dates population splits to about 750,000 years ago.
- If Yunshan belonged to the Denisovan branch it would challenge DNA-derived timelines and many genetic estimates.
Release Fossils So Claims Can Be Tested
- Share fossil data openly to let other researchers evaluate reconstructions and claims.
- Releasing additional specimens (like the third Yunshan skull) would strengthen extraordinary claims quickly.