Evolution is a fascinating subject, made more-so by the fact that the more exploring we do, the more pieces of the puzzle turn up – ones we had no idea were even missing in the first place.

This time, it’s an ancient skull that doesn’t belong to any known branch of hominin lineage.

The scientists who found it published in Journal of Human Evolution, and state it was found in the Hualongdong region of eastern China in 2015.

"HLD hominins would support the appearance of modern morphologies related to the H. sapiens clade in Asia as early as about 300 ka"

Our new paper on the Hualongdong (China) hominin mandible can be downloaded here:https://t.co/xvCOtQVPr5$@CENIEH@Jmbdecastro #ICTSNews pic.twitter.com/nI1qL0fy2t

— María Martinón-Torres (@MMartinonT) August 1, 2023

The “unexpected” find is around 300,000 years old and appears to be a mix of H, sapiens and the Denisovan lineage, which is believed to have branched off the line of H. erectus.

Spanish paleontologist María Martinón-Torres, one of the study’s authors, talks about the trait that really sets it apart.

“HLD6 does not present a true chin. But has some weakly expressed traits that seem to anticipate this typically H. sapiens feature.”

That said, the skull is around 100,000-170,000 years older than any known Denisovan find, making it one of the first examples of early human evolution during the late Middle Pleistocene era.

This is thought to be a pivotal time period for human evolution.

Martinón-Torres said that more research and hopefully more finds could help us learn where this artifact lands “in the human family tree,” and how humans managed to turn into the modern version we are today.

You know, before we go the way of the dodo ourselves.