Man finds 300,000-year-old skull unlike any human species we have ever seen

THE SKULL WAS FOUND IN SOUTHERN CHINA IN 1958 AND INITIALLY THOUGHT TO BE RELATED TO THE NEANDERTHALS - BUT A TEAM OF RESEARCHERS ARE NOW HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS 19:17, 02 Jun 2025 Trying to

fill in the gaps of human history is no easy task - and one particular collection of found bone fragments has left archeologists scratching their skulls. The story began in southern China in

1958 when farmers near were digging up bat guano for fertiliser in the Guangdong province. Inside a narrow trench of an eroded limestone cave near close to Maba Village in Shaoguan City

they made a stunning discovery. Bones that looked fairly human were later confirmed to be part of a skull, along with a number of facial bones. The problem was that, because the parts were

incomplete, it was difficult to place the skull within the framework of our ancient ancestors. Maba 1 - as it became known - was almost impossible to positively identify but it was dated to

the late Middle Pleistocene, making it around 300,000 years old. Some initial studies at the time, however, also suggested that it might have been a relative of the Neanderthals, earning the

sometime-nickname “Chinese Neanderthal”. Now, a team of scientists who previously studied the skull have look at it again and this time have come to an alternative conclusion. Article

continues below “[Maba 1] is well-known for the Neanderthal-like face, while its neurocranium shows affinities with many hominin taxa, which makes the taxonomic status of Maba 1

controversial,” they wrote in a study recently published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology. After reconstructing the skull using micro-CT scans they were able to observe the

inside of it without damaging the real specimen. The results of this made it a real possibility that the skull was most likely not from a Neanderthal, reports Popular Mechanics. “Maba 1 was

considered a 'Chinese Neanderthal' for their resemblance manifested in the facial area. However, this study did not find characteristics uniquely belonging to _Homo

neanderthalensis_ in Maba 1 internal structures,” they went on. The researchers added that the skull’s “general morphology is closer to _Homo erectus_ than to later encephalized species,

_Homo neanderthalensis_ and _Homo sapiens._” They concluded: “The internal structures of Maba 1 show a combination of morphological features found in various species. "These findings

further evidence the high morphological variability among Asian hominins in the late Middle Pleistocene. Maba 1 currently cannot be definitely classified in any known hominin taxon.”

Elsewhere - and much closer in time - one archeologist recently claimed she has "discovered" the elusive tomb of Cleopatra VII. Kathleen Martinez said she has unearthed a statue

that could depict the face of the queen who ruled Egypt from 51 to 30 BC. The white marble statue, which is just a head, bears the likeness of a woman with a petite nose, full lips and hair

braided around the head. Martinez and her team also found 337 coins bearing Cleopatra's image, as well as an array of pottery, oil lamps, figurines and other artefacts at the Temple of

Taposiri. Article continues below FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS AND STORIES FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE FROM THE DAILY STAR, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS.