An addition to the human family: Scientists reveal a new human species that challenges conventional wisdom

Although there is only one hominid species in existence today, Homo sapiens, throughout the history of human evolution, a wide range of members of the species have existed. One activity scientists and archaeologists undertake to gain further insights into our species is excavating sites where early humans are thought to have lived. Tracking these sites and their inhabitants allows researchers to piece together a history of how these early humans moved around the world and evolved. Anthropologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Hawaii are illuminating a previously unknown (or, rather, uncategorized) chapter of that history with the introduction of a new human species, Homo juluensis.

The features of Homo juluensis

Homo juluensis, whose name means “big head,” thrived in East Asia from 300,000 years ago until about 50,000 years ago, when the species became extinct. Researchers say these hominids likely hunted wild horses, made their weapons and tools, and even used the skins of hunted animals to survive the freezing winters.

Christopher J. Bae of the University of Hawaii said the breakthrough in discovering this possible new species came when he and his team were coming up with a new system for organizing the fossil evidence: “Although we started this project several years ago, we did not expect to be able to propose a new hominin (human ancestor) species and then to be able to organize the hominin fossils from Asia into different groups,” noted Bae in a press release.

Additionally, the researchers believe their findings help to expand the fossil record, which Bae explains “has tended to [exclude] anything that cannot easily be assigned to Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens.”

The Denisovians may be a member of H. juluensis. In 2010, the DNA of a young girl associated with this group was analyzed from Siberia using her bones. If Bae and his team are accurate, the Denisovians would be classified as part of Homo juluensis.

The new species, H. juluensis, solves the mystery of the Xujiayao fossils, which have long puzzled the scientific community as they showed mixed traits of both H. erectus and H. sapiens. According to a study by scientists in the journal PaleoAnthropology, these remains have been confused with a wide variety of taxonomic remains, but there were noticeable differences in the skull, jaw, and other physical features.

Although these specimens strongly suggest to the researchers the existence of an undiscovered human species, additional study is required to, with confidence, determine the existence of a new hominin family. Nonetheless, due to ongoing challenges and questions regarding species classification, it is only a matter of time before we see an increase in the hominin tribe, possibly by one or more species.

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