As recently as 50,000 years ago, a strange species of human wandered eastern Asia. They looked similar to Neanderthals and Homo sapiens except for having huge heads. Scientists have dubbed the likely new species Homo juluensis.
From the University of Hawaiʻi:
Homo juluensis lived approximately 300,000 years ago in eastern Asia, hunted wild horses in small groups, and made stone tools and possibly processed animal hides for survival before disappearing around 50,000 years ago. Importantly, it was proposed that the new species include the enigmatic Denisovans, a population known primarily through DNA evidence from a few physical remains found in Siberia, and a few fossils found in Tibet and Laos. More research is clearly needed to test this relationship, which is primarily based on similarities between jaw and teeth fossils from these different sites.
Scientists have found and analyzed remains of 16 individuals. According to the researchers, the Homo juluensis cranial capacity could be 1,700-1,800 cubic centimeters, around 500 to 600 centimeters larger than the average modern human.
From the Jerusalem Post:
Professor Christopher J. Bae revealed that Homo juluensis' larger brain did not necessarily mean they were smarter, and warned that the size disparity does not necessarily indicate greater intelligence, according to Bild[….]
Homo juluensis were capable of remarkable things. They manufactured stone tools, indicating a high level of adaptation and complex social connections, as reported by Proceso. Bild noted that Homo juluensis likely processed animal hides for clothing, possibly for protection against the cold, and survived by hunting animals. They hunted wild horses in small groups, using all parts of the animals for sustenance, including meat, marrow, bones, and skins.
Previously:
• Homo naledi buried dead and carved symbols more than 100,000 years ago
• Trailer: Netflix's 'Cave of Bones,' a documentary about the discovery that an extinct small-brained ape ritually buried their dead
• Study: Small-brained hominins used fire, engraved tools and cave walls, and buried their dead
