Evolutionary Development Mapped!

China: Scientists Uncover Mysteries of Early Life Evolution on Earth! (20.12.2024)

The research has revealed that life’s evolution from simple to complex in about 1.5 billion years is not a linear process but a pattern of alternating long-term stagnation and relatively rapid growth.

The results also highlighted the profound effects of sudden environmental shifts, such as temperature and oxygen level, on early complex life, offering crucial implications for studying alien life in harsh conditions and evaluating the future habitability of Earth, said Tang Qing from Nanjing University, the first author and one of the corresponding authors of the paper.

A peer-reviewer praised the work as “a long overdue paper to examine the fossil record of the Proterozoic,” which will make for “a plethora of papers following [its] publication.”

New ‘Third’ Fossilized Skull of “Yunxian Man” (Homo Erectus) Found in Central China! (29.9.2022)

In 1989 and 1990, the first and second such skulls, dating from 800,000 to 1.1 million years ago, were unearthed at an early Paleolithic period site in central China’s Hubei Province. The fossil skulls are believed to belong to Homo Erectus and were named “Yunxian Man.”

The new fossil, named “No. 3 Skull of Yunxian Man,” was discovered about 35 meters from the excavation location of the first two skull fossils, with similarities in terms of burial environment and the technical characteristics of their companion stone artifacts.

Archaeologists have carried out systematic excavations at the site since 2021, which led to the new discovery. Part of the new skull has been unearthed, with no obvious deformation visible so far.

Experts said that the new discovery will provide important evidence showing the evolution of Homo Erectus and its origin and development in China and East Asia.