Yunxian Man skulls

Yunxian Man skulls

#GS-03 Science and Technology

For Prelims

Yunxian Man skulls:

  • Yunxian Man skulls were unearthed in 1989 and 1990 and belong to the species Homo Erectus.
  • Like the Javanese fossils, they are large, big-brained skulls.

Homo Erectus:

  • Homo erectus is an extinct species of the human genus from the Pleistocene epoch.
  • Homo erectus most likely originated in Africa, though Eurasia cannot be ruled out.
  • The first fossils attributed to Homo erectus were discovered by a Dutch army surgeon, Eugène Dubois on the island of Java in Indonesia.
  • In 1894, Dubois named the species Pithecanthropus erectus, or ‘erect apeman.’
  • Pithecanthropus was later changed into Homo to denote the Human genus.
  • Remains have been found in eastern Africa, eastern Asia and possibly Europe, and they span a period from 1.9 million to 250,000 years ago.
  • Because of this, there is a great deal of variability in the species’ fossil record, and the precise relationships between different populations are a matter of debate.
  • Some scientists distinguish between the African (Homo ergaster) and Asian (Homo erectus sensu stricto) fossils of this taxon, while others lump them together as Homo erectus sensu lato.
  • In either case, there is general agreement that it descended from an earlier species of Homo (e.g., Homo habilis) and represents one of the widest dispersals of early humans in our evolutionary history.

Source “Ancient skull found in China adds to hominin family tree