Ice Age Survivors

Scientists have suggested that an ancient species of human, thought to be long extinct might have survived until the end of the last ice age. This has been claimed after they examined a 14,000–year–old mysterious thigh bone excavated in 1989 in southwest China among the remains of China’s Red Deer Cave people.

After a study of the partial femur, it was concluded that the bone resembled an ancient member of the human genus (Homo) as it matched bones from Homo habilis and an early Homo erectus that lived more than 1.5 million years ago, although they are sceptical about its identity since it is just one bone.

Associate Professor Darren Curnoe said, “The new study finds hint at the possibility that the pre–modern species may have overlapped in time with modern humans on mainland East Asia.” He also stated that the environment and climate of southwest China may have provided a refuge to human diversity with pre-modern groups until very late due to the high Tibetan Plateau.

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