The re-analysis and study of a strange human skull called the “Dragon Man” has raised many questions about the origins of humanity and its beginning on planet Earth.
According to new studies of this strange skull, this discovery may “reshape” our understanding of human evolution by identifying a new ancient human that may replace Neanderthals.
The analysis of the largest skull in the world remained hidden for decades
A group of experts and scientists led by China’s Hebei Jiu University came to this conclusion after re-analyzing the so-called “Harbin” or “Dragon Man” skull, as some call it, which was discovered in the 1930s.
According to the report published in the British “Daily Mail” magazine, which dealt with a study conducted on the skull of the “Dragon Man”, the largest skull of its kind among all types of human skulls was found in the Songhua River, near Harbin, in Heilongjiang Province of China, and was preserved In the Museum of Earth Sciences, Hebei Jiu University, China.
According to the sources, the skull was hidden for decades, and it was not handed over to researchers and experts for study until 2017.
Square eye sockets and large teeth
Research applied to the skull indicated that humans of that era had a brain the same size as the current human brain, but had large, nearly square eye sockets, thick forehead edges, a wide mouth, and larger teeth.
“The Harbin fossil is one of the most complete human cranial fossils in the world,” said research author and Chinese paleontologist Ji Qing, from China’s Hebei Jiu University.
This fossil has preserved many morphological details that are crucial to understanding the evolution of Homo sapiens and the origin of Homo sapiens.
Researchers believe that Harbin’s skull belonged to a very strong male individual who died around the age of 50. It was likely that he was part of a small community that lived in the forest and plains environment.
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In turn, the author of the research paper published in the scientific journal “cell”, researcher, Ni Geun, said that these humans “were like Homo sapiens hunting mammals and birds, collecting fruits and vegetables and possibly catching fish.”
Dragon Man: is he a new species of human, or the face of Denisovans discovered at last? Here’s my @nytimes story on a gorgeous skull that was hidden in a well for 85 years. https://t.co/10ZAo07kXF pic.twitter.com/1khAgRdm8u
— Carl Zimmer (@carlzimmer) June 25, 2021
The process of dating the skull through geochemical analysis showed that it dates back to about 146000 years, meaning that these people lived during the middle Pleistocene, an era that witnessed large human migrations.