--- title: "Scientists Puzzled by Human-Like Skull That Matches No Known Species" description: "Scientists have found and analyzed an ancient skull that, while human-like, does not appear to belong to our branch of Homo sapiens." date: "2023-08-10" modified: "2023-08-10" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/human-like-ancient-skull" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "ancient hominids" - "homo erectus" - "homo sapiens" - "paleontology" --- # Scientists Puzzled by Human-Like Skull That Matches No Known Species ![Scientists have found and analyzed an ancient skull that, while human-like, does not appear to belong to our branch of Homo sapiens.]() *\Image: Martinón-Torres et al\* Scientists have found and analyzed an ancient skull which, while decidedly human-*like*, does not appear to belong to our branch of *Homo sapiens* — or any other known hominin lineage, for that matter. The study, [published in the *Journal of Human Evolution*](), describes how the skull — found in the Hualongdong region of eastern China back in 2015 and dubbed HLD 6 — proved "unexpected" even to the researchers who closely studied it. An estimated 300,000 years old, HLD 6 appears to be a strange and never-before-seen mix of *H. sapiens* and the [Denisovan lineage](), another hominin that is believed to have branched off from *Homo erectus.* María Martinón-Torres, the director of Spain's National Research Center on Human Evolution and author of a study on the fascinating finding, [told *CNN*]() that the most striking feature that sets HLD 6 apart is that it doesn't have a chin like ours — a trait it shares with the [Denisovan lineage](), named for the Greek cave in which it was found. "HLD6 does not present a true chin," the Spanish paleontologist said, "but has some weakly expressed traits that seem to anticipate this typically *H. sapiens* feature." https://twitter.com/MMartinonT/status/1686261976744308737 That curious mixture of lineage traits — and its age being between 100,000 and 170,o00 years older than the [oldest-known Denisovan]() — does indeed make for an interesting find. As the group of Spanish, Chinese and British researchers note in their stud**y**, it appears that HLD 6 is a type of hominin that has not yet been classified and could represent one of the first examples of early human evolution during the late Middle Pleistocene era. While the [Pleistocene epoch]() is chronologically massive, dating between 1.8 million to 11,700 years ago, the middle of that era is believed by many experts to be a [pivotal time period]() for [human evolution](). Finding a relatively modern-seeming hominin skull from the Middle Pleistocene that still contained characteristics similar to newer lineages, therefore, is a pretty big find. As Martinón-Torres told *CNN*, it makes HLD 6 and the other bones found near it "one of the earliest fossil population\[s\] known in Asia to present this mosaic of primitive and *H. sapiens*-like features." Martinón-Torres said that while scientists will need "more fossils and studies" to figure out where HLD 6 lands "in the human family tree," this stunning finding could reshape the way the scientific community thinks of the era that shaped modern human history — a worthy pursuit even as our species continues its march towards annihilation. **More on weird human ancestors:** [*Scientists Make Horrific Discovery About Cannibalism in Human Ancestors*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()