A groundbreaking archaeological and genetic study has uncovered a previously unknown Himalayan population in Ladakh's Kargil region, offering remarkable new insights into ancient human migration across Asia.

Scientists analyzed DNA from 10 individuals discovered inside the Old Lady Spider Cave, located nearly 4,000 meters above sea level. The remains date back approximately 2,500 years, while researchers believe the population first emerged through the mixing of Tibetan and North Indian ancestry around 2,800 years ago—centuries before the rise of the Tibetan Empire.

The study also identified a third genetic component linked to Inner Asia, although researchers have not yet determined its exact origin.

Ancient DNA Discovery In Ladakh Rewrites Himalayan History | Lost Population Found

Humans are much older than earlier estimates, an analysis of a skull fossil in China has shown. Previous studies have suggested that humans first appeared in Africa 600,000 years ago, but the latest finding changes all that and pushes our origins back by 400,000 years. The Chinese skull Yunxian 2 was previously classified as being from the primitive human species Homo erectus. This species was a direct ancestor of modern humans and the first to walk fully upright. It is also believed to be the first human species to have left Africa. The fossilised cranium was found badly crushed in Hubei, China, in 1990. Homo erectus has long been seen as a direct ancestor of modern humans. Prof Chris Stringer, an anthropologist and research leader in human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London, led the study as his team reanalysed the skull. They created a model of the skull using CT scanning, light imaging and virtual reconstruction techniques. Small anatomical elements were also incorporated from Yunxian 1, another crushed fossil found at the site in 1989.<h2>Earliest humans were 'Dragon Man' and not Homo Erectus</h2>It showed that the skull likely belongs to a group called Homo longi (dragon man), a species closely linked to Denisovans and that lived alongside our own ancestors. This makes the fossil the closest ever found linked to the split between modern humans and our closest relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Study author Chris Stringer, an anthropologist and research leader in human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London, said, "This changes a lot of thinking because it suggests that by one million years ago our ancestors had already split into distinct groups, pointing to a much earlier and more complex human evolutionary split than previously believed. It more or less doubles the time of origin of Homo sapiens." Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/human-hunt-for-intelligent-alien-life-could-help-us-outlive-all-the-stars-scientist-says-1758531158090">Humans can survive cosmic winter by befriending super intelligent aliens, scientist says</a>&nbsp;The reconstruction of the Yunxian 2 skull showed that it had primitive traits similar to Homo erectus, including a large, squat braincase, a strong brow ridge, and a more projecting lower face. But the features in the face and rear of the braincase, and a larger brain capacity, closely resemble Homo longi ('Dragon Man') and Homo sapiens. This showed that Yunxian 2 is not a Homo erectus, but is an early member of the lineage with Homo longi and several other Chinese fossils being a part of it. Springer says that this discovery points to the possibility that our common ancestor, and maybe even the first Homo sapiens, lived in western Asia rather than Africa.

A new discovery in China has challenged a decades-old belief about the evolution of humans. Earliest humans were thought to have originated 600,000 years ago in Africa. But we are way older, probably a million years old.

Humans are much older than earlier estimates, an analysis of a skull fossil in China has shown. Previous studies have suggested that humans first appeared in Africa 600,000 years ago, but the latest finding changes all that and pushes our origins back by 400,000 years. The Chinese skull Yunxian 2 was previously classified as being from the primitive human species Homo erectus. This species was a direct ancestor of modern humans and the first to walk fully upright. It is also believed to be the first human species to have left Africa. The fossilised cranium was found badly crushed in Hubei, China, in 1990. Homo erectus has long been seen as a direct ancestor of modern humans. Prof Chris Stringer, an anthropologist and research leader in human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London, led the study as his team reanalysed the skull. They created a model of the skull using CT scanning, light imaging and virtual reconstruction techniques. Small anatomical elements were also incorporated from Yunxian 1, another crushed fossil found at the site in 1989. Earliest humans were 'Dragon Man' and not Homo Erectus It showed that the skull likely belongs to a group called Homo longi (dragon man), a species closely linked to Denisovans and that lived alongside our own ancestors. This makes the fossil the closest ever found linked to the split between modern humans and our closest relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Study author Chris Stringer, an anthropologist and research leader in human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London, said, "This changes a lot of thinking because it suggests that by one million years ago our ancestors had already split into distinct groups, pointing to a much earlier and more complex human evolutionary split than previously believed. It more or less doubles the time of origin of Homo sapiens." Also Read: Humans can survive cosmic winter by befriending super intelligent aliens, scientist says The reconstruction of the Yunxian 2 skull showed that it had primitive traits similar to Homo erectus, including a large, squat braincase, a strong brow ridge, and a more projecting lower face. But the features in the face and rear of the braincase, and a larger brain capacity, closely resemble Homo longi ('Dragon Man') and Homo sapiens. This showed that Yunxian 2 is not a Homo erectus, but is an early member of the lineage with Homo longi and several other Chinese fossils being a part of it. Springer says that this discovery points to the possibility that our common ancestor, and maybe even the first Homo sapiens, lived in western Asia rather than Africa.

A new discovery in China has challenged a decades-old belief about the evolution of humans. Earliest humans were thought to have originated 600,000 years ago in Africa. But we are way older, probably a million years old.

Humans are a million years old, lived in Asia and belong to 'Dragon Man', Chinese skull analysis shows

The bones of Black children who were killed in a bomb blast in 1985 in their home will now be used as a "case study" for an online forensic anthropology course at an Ivy League college.

Titled "REAL BONES: Adventures in Forensic Anthropology", the course aims to teach "techniques that biological anthropologists apply to these cases to identify certain social attributes."

Have a look |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/hundreds-mourn-daunte-wright-black-man-killed-by-minnesota-police-379400">Hundreds mourn Daunte Wright, Black man killed by Minnesota police</a>

The physical remains of one, or two, children were guarded over the past 36 years in the anthropological collections of the University of&nbsp;Pennsylvania&nbsp;and Princeton.

These remains were being guarded since May 1985 and the institutes had been using the burned bones for teaching purposes but without the permission of the deceased’s parents.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/daunte-wright-laid-to-rest-after-minnesota-police-shooting-379390">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/daunte-wright-laid-to-rest-after-minnesota-police-shooting-379390/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

This has come a few days before Philadelphia is set to organise its first-ever official day of remembrance for the 1985 bombing.

The deceased were killed on May 13, 1985, when the Philadelphia police dropped a bomb from a helicopter on the rooftop of a house. The blast killed 11 people, including five children, who were all a part of the organisation, Move.

Last year, the city leader had apologised for the "immeasurable and enduring harm" caused by the bombing. &nbsp;

The bones of Black children who were killed in a bomb blast in 1985 in their home will now be used as a "case study" for an online forensic anthropology course at an Ivy League college.

The bones of Black children who were killed in a bomb blast in 1985 in their home will now be used as a "case study" for an online forensic anthropology course at an Ivy League college. Titled "REAL BONES: Adventures in Forensic Anthropology", the course aims to teach "techniques that biological anthropologists apply to these cases to identify certain social attributes." Have a look | Hundreds mourn Daunte Wright, Black man killed by Minnesota police The physical remains of one, or two, children were guarded over the past 36 years in the anthropological collections of the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton. These remains were being guarded since May 1985 and the institutes had been using the burned bones for teaching purposes but without the permission of the deceased’s parents. Watch | This has come a few days before Philadelphia is set to organise its first-ever official day of remembrance for the 1985 bombing. The deceased were killed on May 13, 1985, when the Philadelphia police dropped a bomb from a helicopter on the rooftop of a house. The blast killed 11 people, including five children, who were all a part of the organisation, Move. Last year, the city leader had apologised for the "immeasurable and enduring harm" caused by the bombing.

Bones of Black children killed in 1985 bombing being used in anthropology course

It is men that we associate with generally when it comes about the image of hunters during the ancient times, but a new discovery has found that this phenomenon was not always true as women ace in hunting too.&nbsp;

The excavations at Wilamaya Patjxa (present-day Peru) in 2018 has made such claims.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-announces-discovery-of-27-coffins-buried-2500-years-ago-329084">Egypt announces discovery of 27 coffins buried 2,500 years ago</a>

As per the discovery, the remains of a 17-19-year-old woman was found with artefacts like stone projectile points, knife, as well as objects for gutting and scraping an animal, reports Indiatimes.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-a-stunning-discovery-can-revive-egypts-tourism-industry-333015">How a stunning discovery can revive Egypt's tourism industry</a>

The bones of the woman suggest that she used to eat meat.&nbsp;

"Our findings have made me rethink the most basic organizational structure of ancient hunter-gatherer groups. Among historic and contemporary hunter-gatherers, it is almost always the case that males are the hunters and females are the gatherers," said Anthropologist Randy Haas of the University of California, Davis, who is part of the research.&nbsp;

"Because of this – and likely because of sexist assumptions about division of labour in western society – archaeological findings of females with hunting tools just didn't fit prevailing worldviews. It took a strong case to help us recognize that the archaeological pattern indicated actual female hunting behaviour."

The burials in Pleistocene and early Holocene found remains of 427 individuals who are buried across 107 sites. &nbsp;

In these burial sites, 27 people were found with hunting equipment and 11 out of them were women.&nbsp;

The researchers claimed that the study has provided enough evidence that women were involved in hunting too.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

It is men that we associate with generally when it comes about the image of hunters during the ancient times, but a new discovery has found that this phenomenon was not always true as women ace in hunting too.

It is men that we associate with generally when it comes about the image of hunters during the ancient times, but a new discovery has found that this phenomenon was not always true as women ace in hunting too. The excavations at Wilamaya Patjxa (present-day Peru) in 2018 has made such claims. Also read | Egypt announces discovery of 27 coffins buried 2,500 years ago As per the discovery, the remains of a 17-19-year-old woman was found with artefacts like stone projectile points, knife, as well as objects for gutting and scraping an animal, reports Indiatimes. Also read | How a stunning discovery can revive Egypt's tourism industry The bones of the woman suggest that she used to eat meat. "Our findings have made me rethink the most basic organizational structure of ancient hunter-gatherer groups. Among historic and contemporary hunter-gatherers, it is almost always the case that males are the hunters and females are the gatherers," said Anthropologist Randy Haas of the University of California, Davis, who is part of the research. "Because of this – and likely because of sexist assumptions about division of labour in western society – archaeological findings of females with hunting tools just didn't fit prevailing worldviews. It took a strong case to help us recognize that the archaeological pattern indicated actual female hunting behaviour." The burials in Pleistocene and early Holocene found remains of 427 individuals who are buried across 107 sites. In these burial sites, 27 people were found with hunting equipment and 11 out of them were women. The researchers claimed that the study has provided enough evidence that women were involved in hunting too.

9,000-year-old burials find men were not the only hunters, women ace in it too

As archeologists explore more and more of the land, they are finding more and more artifacts of Mayan civilizations underground in the waters of what they have termed the "Great Mayan Aquifer."

Underwater ancient Mayan sites in Mexico to be protected, investigated

Forensic experts in Paraguay began digging on Tuesday in what was possibly the country house of the late dictator Alfredo Stroessner (1954-1989).

Paraguay excavates to recover human remains

Mexican archaeologists find 100s of Mayan artifacts in cave

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