A new study in Nature talks about a group of ancient humans called the Juluren. They lived in eastern Asia more than 100,000 years ago and are relatives of the Denisovans and Neanderthals.
The Juluren had bigger brains than any other human species at that time, including modern humans. They likely hunted small groups of horses.
Scientists Xiujie Wu and Christopher Bae discovered these new fossils in China. They found that the Juluren, known as Homo juluensis, are different from known species like Homo erectus and Denisovans.
Wu and Bae explained that the different fossils show a mix of features from many ancient human groups. This discovery shows that many types of humans lived in Asia between 300,000 and 50,000 years ago.
Anthropologist John Hawks thinks this study is important. He believes it shows we need to learn more about human history in Asia. The research helps us understand how complex human evolution really is.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
Vocabulary List:
- Ancient /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/ (adjective): Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence.
- Discovery /dɪsˈkʌv.ər.i/ (noun): The process of finding or learning something for the first time.
- Fossils /ˈfɒs.əl/ (noun): The remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.
- Relatives /ˈrɛl.ə.tɪv/ (noun): A person connected by blood or marriage.
- Evolution /ˌiː.vəˈluː.ʃən/ (noun): The gradual development of something especially from a simple to a more complex form.
- Features /ˈfiː.tʃər/ (noun): A distinctive attribute or aspect of something.
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