Africa no longer the cradle of humanity according to secrets of new species skull remains

A stunning archaeological find in China has sent shockwaves through the scientific community after experts revealed the Yunxian 2 skull could completely rewrite the story of human origins.

The remarkable discovery threatens to demolish long-held beliefs that Africa was humanity's birthplace, with explosive new evidence suggesting our species may have emerged a staggering 400,000 years earlier than previously thought, reports The Times.

Scientists have long believed that five major groups dominated human evolution over the last 800,000 years - erectus, heidelbergensis, longi, sapiens and neanderthalensis. The discovery emerges as it was announced NASA is to send people to Moon in months in first crewed mission in 50 years.

Previous research had pinpointed Homo sapiens' emergence at around 600,000 years ago, based on genetic analysis that appeared rock-solid.

But the bombshell findings surrounding the ancient Chinese skull have thrown this timeline into complete chaos.

Million-year mystery transforms understanding

If experts are correct about the Yunxian 2 skull's true age and species classification, the implications are nothing short of revolutionary.

Natural History Museum researchers have made the jaw-dropping claim that humanity's different branches "were already splitting from one another more than a million years ago."

This seismic shift would completely transform scientific understanding and "paint a radically different picture of human evolution," according to the stunned research team.

Breakthrough study shatters timeline

The groundbreaking investigation has delivered a crushing blow to established theories about human development.

Researchers have declared that the "groundbreaking new study suggests that Homo sapiens could have begun to emerge over one million years ago, pushing back our species' origins by some 400,000 years compared with genetic estimates."

The revelation means countless million-year-old fossils from Africa and Europe will now face urgent re-examination as scientists scramble to piece together humanity's true origins.

Skull features baffle experts

The Yunxian 2 specimen presents a baffling mix of characteristics that has left researchers scratching their heads.

While displaying primitive traits alongside a distinctly "squat" brain compartment and jutting lower face, the skull also boasts significantly larger brain capacity.

These features place it firmly within the longi and sapiens categories, according to the explosive study published in the prestigious Science journal.

Expert delivers crushing verdict

Professor Chris Stringer has delivered a devastating assessment of previous scientific assumptions in his latest research published in Nature.

"Our research reveals that Yunxian 2 is not Homo erectus, but an early member of the longi clade and linked to the Denisovans. This changes a lot of thinking because it suggests that by one million years ago, our ancestors had already split into distinct groups, pointing to a much earlier and more complex human evolutionary split than previously believed," he declared.

Hidden ancestors await discovery

The bombshell findings suggest a treasure trove of ancient human relatives remains buried and waiting to be unearthed.

Researchers now believe "there must be earlier members of the heidelbergensis, neanderthal, sapiens and longi lineages waiting to be either recognised or discovered."

Scientists tackle evolution puzzle

Stringer revealed the skull could finally crack one of archaeology's most perplexing mysteries.

The expert explained how the discovery might solve the notorious "muddle in the middle" problem, where fossils spanning one million to 300,000 years ago have created a "confusing" picture of when different human species actually diverged.