| Title: |
The phylogenetic position of the Yunxian cranium elucidates the origin of Homo longi and the Denisovans. |
| Authors: |
Feng, Xiaobo; Yin, Qiyu; Gao, Feng; Lu, Dan; Fang, Qin; Feng, Yilu; Huang, Xuchu; Tan, Chen; Zhou, Hanwen; Li, Qiang; Zhang, Chi; Stringer, Chris; Ni, Xijun |
| Source: |
Science; 9/25/2025, Vol. 389 Issue 6767, p1320-1324, 5p |
| Subject Terms: |
Cladistic analysis; Skull; Denisovans; Human beings |
| Geographic Terms: |
Yunxian Jie (China) |
| Abstract: |
Diverse forms of Homo coexisted during the Middle Pleistocene. Whether these fossil humans represent different species or clades is debated. The ~1-million-year-old Yunxian 2 fossil from China is important for understanding the cladogenesis of Homo and the origin of Homo sapiens. In this study, we restored and reconstructed the distorted Yunxian 2 cranium using recently introduced technology. The results show that this cranium displays mosaic primitive and derived features. Morphometric and phylogenetic analyses suggest that it is an early member of the Asian H. longi clade, which includes the Denisovans and is the main part of the sister group to the H. sapiens clade. Both the H. sapiens and H. longi clades have deep roots extending beyond the Middle Pleistocene and probably experienced rapid early diversification. Yunxian 2 may preserve transitional features close to the origins of the two clades. Editor's summary: It is now well known that there were at one time many Homo lineages. Understanding of the differences among these lineages is largely dependent upon crania that are rare and often damaged and deformed by age. Feng et al. reconstructed the 1-million-year-old Yunxian 2 cranium using an approach that allowed for removal of much of the compression and distortion naturally present in the fossil. In doing so, they found that the cranium contained both primitive and derived traits and concluded that it is representative of the H. longi clade, which is sister to H. sapiens and likely contained the Denisovans. —Sacha Vignieri [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| : |
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| Database: |
Complementary Index |