Members of the research team.
A study recently published in the Journal of Human Evolution reports the discovery of a mixture of archaic and modern traits in the dentition of 300,000-year-old hominin fossils unearthed at the Hualongdong site in Anhui Province, China.
These fossils predate the migration of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) out of Africa by around 250,000 years. They indicate that hominin populations in East Asia were already diversifying and possibly interbreeding with archaic humans, such as Homo erectus, to form lineages distinct from both Neanderthals and Denisovans.
The research, led by Professor Wu Xiujie, director of the Hualongdong excavations, is the result of a longstanding collaboration between scientists from the Dental Anthropology Group at CENIEH — María Martinón-Torres, Director of CENIEH and corresponding author of the paper, and José María Bermúdez de Castro, researcher ad honorem at CENIEH — and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) in Beijing.
The findings reveal a rich and complex picture of human evolution in East Asia, wholly at odds with the simplistic biblical narrative still clung to by creationists. That account, written by ancient people with no knowledge of the broader world, reflects a worldview in which Earth was small, flat, covered by a dome, and located at the centre of the universe.
The Hualongdong archaeological site. Location & DiscoveryThe researchers explain their findings further in a news release from CENIEH:
- Situated in Pangwang village, Dongzhi County, Anhui Province, on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, at the foot of Meiyuan Hill [1].
- The site was initially identified in 2004–2005, when surface finds of mammalian fossils attracted attention. First excavations occurred in 2006, yielding hominin dental and cranial fragments alongside animal remains and stone tools [2].
Excavations & Finds
- Intensive excavations began in 2013–2014 and continued through to 2019, revealing more than 30 human fossil remains from approximately 16 individuals. The most intact specimen is known as HLD 6, a partly reconstructed adolescent skull (~75 % complete) [3].
- Excavations through April to November 2024 uncovered additional material: 11 human fossils, including skull fragments, a femur piece, a metatarsal bone, as well as more vertebrate remains and over 400 stone tools [4].
Human Fossils & Evolutionary Significance
- The fossils date to 300,000 ± roughly 25,000 years ago (estimated range 275–331 ka), placing them firmly in the late Middle Pleistocene and predating Homo sapiens’ migration out of Africa [5].
- These hominins exhibit a mosaic of archaic and modern traits — from features akin to Homo erectus (such as brow ridges and elongated neurocrania) to derived characteristics like a flat, relatively gracile face and the early development of a chin—making them distinct from known Homo species and possibly representing a unique branch of the genus Homo in East Asia [6].
- The site is widely regarded as East Asia’s earliest evidence of hominins transitioning toward modern human morphology [7, 8].
Archaeological Context
- In addition to human remains, the site has produced over 80 species of fossil mammals and more than 19,000 individual animal fossils, alongside more than 400 stone tools and bone tools, suggesting habitual processing of food and debate over butchery practices [9].
- Researchers hypothesise the presence of a now-collapsed karst cave, once used as a living or sleeping space, possibly described metaphorically as a “dining hall” where remains show evidence of cutting and chopping [4].
Scientific Significance & Collaboration
- Known colloquially as the “Hualongdong people”, these fossils deepen our understanding of human evolution, particularly the multiregional hypotheses suggesting hominin diversity in East Asia independent of Europe and Africa [3].
- The site fosters strong international collaboration, involving researchers from IVPP Beijing, CENIEH in Spain, and other institutions globally. Scholars emphasise its importance in expanding the narrative beyond a simplistic "Out of Africa" model [4, 9, 10].
Summary
- Location: Dongzhi County, Anhui, East China
- Dating: ~300,000 years ago (275–331 ka)
- Human Individuals ~16 individuals, ~30+ fossils, key skull HLD 6
- Traits: Blend of archaic H. erectus with derived, modern features
- Artifacts: 400+ stone tools, bone cut marks, non-human fossil remains
- Significance: Earliest East Asian transitional hominins; multiregional evolution link
- Team & Collaboration: Multinational researchers including IVPP, CENIEH, and others
The Hualongdong site is one of the most significant Middle Pleistocene human fossil discoveries in the past decade. It provides crucial evidence of early hominin diversity in East Asia — and a feasible alternative evolutionary pathway distinct from both Africa and Europe.
A study reveals the human diversity in China during Middle Pleistocene
The CENIEH takes part in international research identifying a hominin population in China’s Hualongdong site that shares traits with Homo sapiens, challenging traditional evolutionary classifications in Asia.
The Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) participates in a study, published in the Journal of Human Evolution, on human teeth unearthed at the Hualongdong site in Anhui Province, China. The findings offer fresh insights into hominin diversity in Asia during the late Middle Pleistocene. Analysis of these fossil teeth reveals an unusual combination of primitive and modern traits that challenges established classifications of Homo evolution on the Asian continent.
Led by Professor Wu Xiujie, director of the Hualongdong excavations, the research is the result of a long-standing collaboration between scientists from the Dental Anthropology Group at CENIEH—María Martinón-Torres, Director of CENIEH and corresponding author of the paper, and José María Bermúdez de Castro, ad Honorem researcher at CENIEH— and scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) in Beijing.
The Hualongdong fossil assemblage includes a nearly complete cranium with 14 teeth preserved in situ, a partial maxilla, several isolated teeth, femoral fragments, and other cranial remains. Through a comparative analysis of 21 dental elements, the researchers identified a morphological pattern that combines archaic features—such as robust dental roots typical of the Middle Pleistocene—with more modern traits, including a reduced third molar commonly found in Homo sapiens and other Late Pleistocene hominins.
Xiujie Wu and María Martinón-Torres at IVPP, 2014.
However, the Hualongdong fossils lack the dental features characteristic of Neanderthals, suggesting a distinct population. This blend of traits could be the result of various evolutionary processes, ranging from genetic admixture with more primitive species like Homo erectus to the possibility that these individuals represent a lineage related to Homo sapiens, yet distinct from both Neanderthals and Denisovans
An evolutionary mosaic
The findings at Hualongdong reinforce the idea that traits associated with the emergence of Homo sapiens were already present in Asia at least 300,000 years ago. While the facial region of these hominins exhibits modern-like features, certain dental and mandibular characteristics remain distinctly archaic.
It’s a mosaic of primitive and derived traits never seen before—almost as if the evolutionary clock were ticking at different speeds in different parts of the body.
María Martinón-Torres, corresponding author
National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain.
[T]he Hualongdong discovery reminds us that human evolution was neither linear nor uniform, and that Asia hosted multiple evolutionary experiments with unique anatomical outcomes.
José María Bermúdez de Castro, co-author
National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain.
These results further support the view that human evolution in Asia during the Pleistocene was more complex and diverse than previously thought—particularly given that a prior study at the same site had already identified a juvenile individual exhibiting a similar combination of modern and archaic traits.
The Hualongdong site now joins other key fossil localities, such as Panxian Dadong and Jinniushan, which may offer further insights into the evolutionary pathways that led to modern humans.
Publication:
AbstractThe discovery of 300,000-year-old hominin remains at the Hualongdong site in China poses a serious challenge to biblical literalist narratives, particularly the belief that humans were created in their present form just a few thousand years ago. These fossils—showing a blend of archaic and modern anatomical traits—represent a population that lived long before the supposed creation date derived from a literal reading of Genesis, which places human origins at around 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Such a timeline is incompatible with the extensive and well-dated fossil record demonstrating hominin presence across Africa and Eurasia over hundreds of thousands of years.
Between 2014 and 2015, abundant human fossils dated to about 300 ka were found in the Hualongdong (HLD) site, Anhui province, South China. The HLD human sample consists of a nearly complete skull with 14 teeth in situ, one partial maxilla with one premolar in situ, six isolated teeth, three femoral diaphyseal sections, and a few cranial pieces. Former studies found that the HLD hominins show a mosaic of primitive and derived characteristics with regard to the Homo clade. While the cranium, limbs, and mandible display predominantly primitive features shared with early Homo specimens, the facial bones display closer affinities to modern humans. To assess the phylogenetic affinities of the HLD taxa and other Asian hominin record as well as African and European Pleistocene specimens, we present a comparative morphometric analysis of the 21 HLD teeth. Our dental study reveals a mosaic of primitive and derived dental features for the HLD hominins regarding the Homo clade. The results show that most of the HLD dental features resemble those of Late Pleistocene hominins expect for the robust roots of premolars and molars that approach Middle Pleistocene morphologies. A few features like the reduced M3 link the HLD 6 mandible with East Asian Pleistocene hominins and recent modern humans. The HLD also lacks typical Neanderthal traits. This population presents a remarkable number of derived dental features not present in most Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil assemblages in East Asia with perhaps the exception of Panxian Dadong or Jinniushan. The findings from HLD teeth provide further support to the diversity in late Middle Pleistocene hominin evolution. Several scenarios can potentially explain this variability and would need further exploration. Hualongdong-particular morphology could be the result of genetic drift or gene flow with a more archaic form, such as Homo erectus. Alternatively, the HLD sample could belong to a hominin population closely related to the Homo sapiens clade and be distinct from H. erectus, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.
Wu, Xiujie; Martinón-Torres, María; Xing, Song; Pei, Shuwen; Cai, Yanjun; Tong, Haowen; Bermúdez de Castro, José María; Liu, Wu (2025)
The hominin teeth from the late Middle Pleistocene Hualongdong site, China
Journal of Human Evolution 206 103727, doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103727.
© 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Reprinted under the terms of s60 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
More significantly, the Hualongdong remains undermine the notion of a single, recent origin of all humans from two individuals (Adam and Eve) in a single geographical location. Instead, the evidence points to a far more complex picture of human evolution—one in which multiple hominin populations existed simultaneously in different regions, sometimes interbreeding, sometimes evolving independently. The mosaic of features found in these fossils suggests a dynamic process of evolutionary change and regional diversity, not a fixed or sudden act of creation.
Biblical literalism also fails to account for the geographical reality of these discoveries. The people who wrote the Genesis narrative had no knowledge of East Asia, let alone of hominins who lived there hundreds of millennia ago. Their worldview was limited to a small part of the ancient Near East, which they imagined as the centre of a flat Earth enclosed by a firmament. To continue treating such a perspective as a reliable account of human origins, in the face of hard physical evidence from the fossil record, demands a wilful rejection of modern science and archaeology.
In contrast, discoveries like those at Hualongdong enrich our understanding of the deep and branching story of human evolution. They reveal a past shaped not by divine fiat, but by natural processes unfolding over immense timescales—a reality far more complex, awe-inspiring, and intellectually honest than any creation myth.
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