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Palaeontology

Archaic human fossil dates back 14,000 years

By T.K. Randall
December 18, 2015 · Comment icon 14 comments

Did an archaic human species survive until 14,000 years ago ? Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Lillyundfreya
Scientists have found evidence that a prehistoric species of human was still alive relatively recently.
The mysterious femur bone unearthed in southwest China might not seem like much, but according to paleontologists the discovery has the potential to rewrite what we know of human history.

Thought to belong to a species of human that disappeared over 100,000 years ago, the bone appears to date back only 14,000 years to a time when even the Neanderthals had gone extinct.

The find has left experts scratching their heads as there is no other evidence to suggest that modern humans had co-existed with an archaic human species so recently.
"Until now, it was thought that archaic humans on mainland Asia had survived no later than around 100,000 years ago," said study author Darren Curnoe. "So, to find a human bone that resembles very ancient humans that is only around 14,000 years old is a real surprise."

The discovery is so peculiar in fact that many scientists believe that it isn't quite what it seems.

"To me, it's just a Late Pleistocene, Early Holocene population that just looks a little bit different, that really doesn't have anything especially archaic about it," said paleoanthropologist David Begun.

"I certainly don't buy the argument that it is some kind of holdover from an Early Pleistocene, early Homo lineage, pre-Neanderthal or something like that. I'm not convinced by the evidence at all."

Source: Christian Science Monitor | Comments (14)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #5 Posted by jarjarbinks 9 years ago
That,s probably like the bizarre mongoloid big foot hybrid video that we can see on youtube. the guy looks like a monkey but he's a human and he died in his village. some people told that his mom was raped by a big foot
Comment icon #6 Posted by Rawbone 9 years ago
Comment icon #7 Posted by Ealdwita 9 years ago
There's plenty of them about.....Most of them come from Norfolk, but I've got a couple of them working for me!
Comment icon #8 Posted by jarjarbinks 9 years ago
YES THAT'S HIM
Comment icon #9 Posted by Tatetopa 9 years ago
"...human not in our species"? That would fit jihadists. - Sadly just the opposite our species and maybe the epitomy of the traits we wish were not human.
Comment icon #10 Posted by coolguy 9 years ago
Interesting
Comment icon #11 Posted by back to earth 9 years ago
Wow ... that face ... and from that femur how UNintersting !
Comment icon #12 Posted by Why not 9 years ago
Sounds like one of those kind of finds that usually gets locked in a back room, or lost pretty fast.
Comment icon #13 Posted by DieChecker 9 years ago
I think it is possible, but like most everyone else, highly unlikely. Might explain the ape man/wild man report throughout history though.
Comment icon #14 Posted by PersonFromPorlock 9 years ago
The Chinese half-bigfoot looks like a garden variety full-human with microcephaly to me. Sad cases, but not unheard of.


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