It isn’t everyday that a fisherman’s catch has the potential to alter what we know about extinct species of early humans.
LiveScience reports that a fossilized jawbone discovered in a fishing net off the western coast of Taiwan may belong to a previously unknown form of archaic human that once dwelled in Asia. The lower right mandible, complete with a short row of thick teeth, is thought to be from a hominin that lived between 10,000 and 190,000 years ago.
Scientists who recently published a study of the fossil, dubbed Penghu 1, noted a resemblance to a 400,000-year-old specimen discovered some 600 miles from where the jawbone was found. This led them to wonder if the two fossils may represent an unclassified human species.
They’re cautious, though, saying that more research is required. Final word is sure to take a while since conclusive evidence can’t be established until other related skeletal parts are discovered.
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