A 150,000-year-old fossil points to the existence of a ‘Dragon Man’

The fossil, attributed to Homo juluensis, is notable for its unusually large cranial capacity. It was first unearthed in Hebei Province during the 1970s, but its significance was long debated. Scientists struggled to determine both its age and its place in the human family tree. It was not until 2024 that researchers proposed it might represent a previously unknown human species.

Interpreting these fossils has been challenging. Dating results over the decades have varied widely, turning the remains into an example of what researchers call the muddle in the middle. This period of human evolution is marked by fossils that are hard to classify and by the apparent coexistence of different lineages.

Clarifying the timeline

A new study has narrowed down these uncertainties by applying uranium-series dating to five human fossils as well as associated animal remains. The results suggest that Homo juluensis lived in northern China between 138,000 and 228,000 years ago.

This timeline overlaps with the presence of Homo longi, the “Dragon Man,” also believed to have lived around 150,000 years ago. The overlap hints that at least two distinct human lineages once shared the region, each with unique physical traits. The exact evolutionary relationship between these groups, however, remains a mystery.

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