Abstract
We have previously described hominin remains with numerous archaic traits from two localities (Maludong and Longlin Cave) in Southwest China dating to the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. If correct, this finding has important implications for understanding the late phases of human evolution. Alternative interpretations have suggested these fossils instead fit within the normal range of variation for early modern humans in East Asia. Here we test this proposition, consider the role of size-shape scaling, and more broadly assess the affinities of the Longlin 1 (LL1) cranium by comparing it to modern human and archaic hominin crania. The shape of LL1 is found to be highly unusual, but on balance shows strongest affinities to early modern humans, lacking obvious similarities to early East Asians specifically. We conclude that a scenario of hybridization with archaic hominins best explains the highly unusual morphology of LL1, possibly even occurring as late as the early Holocene.
Highlights
The hominin fossil records of Europe, West Asia and parts of Africa have long dominated discussions about Late Pleistocene human evolution
We have reported the discovery of hominin remains dating to the Pleistocene-Holocene transition at Maludong and Longlin (Laomaocao) Cave in Southwest China that exhibit a large number of similarities to archaic hominins[15,16]
First we undertook a univariate examination of the data, which revealed that the value for one raw variable in Longlin 1 (LL1) (EKB: see Table 1) was outside of the range of 2,524 recent modern humans (RMH)
Summary
The hominin fossil records of Europe, West Asia and parts of Africa have long dominated discussions about Late Pleistocene human evolution. We have reported the discovery of hominin remains dating to the Pleistocene-Holocene transition at Maludong and Longlin (Laomaocao) Cave in Southwest China that exhibit a large number of similarities to archaic hominins[15,16]. Support for the hypothesis that the Maludong and Longlin remains sample a genetically divergent or even late surviving archaic population is growing[21,22,23,24,25] If they do show affinities to archaic hominins this would have significant implications for understanding the late phases of human evolution
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