Did Nanjing Man push back the timeline of human ancestors in East Asia?

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1993, a local worker digging in a limestone cave near Nanjing unearthed skull fragments that would challenge our understanding of human history. These fossils, belonging to Homo erectus, suggest that our ancient relatives occupied East Asia significantly earlier than researchers had previously assumed, sparking intense debate about human migration.

The discovery occurred in Hulu Cave, located in the Tangshan hills of Nanjing, China. A local laborer named Liu Luhong found two partial skull fragments and a molar tooth buried at depths between 60 and 97 centimeters. This find was the result of a collaborative effort between the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, who were investigating the site for its rich mammalian fossil deposits.

Dating these remains has proven complex, with various methods yielding conflicting results. While early estimates were more conservative, mass spectrometric U-series dating conducted in 2001 placed the skulls at between 580,000 and 620,000 years old. This significantly extended the known timeline for Homo erectus colonization in East Asia by approximately 270,000 years. However, a tooth found at the same site was dated to only 400,000 years old, a discrepancy researchers attribute to differences in uranium uptake within the enamel compared to the skull fragments.

The morphological features of the Nanjing Man fossils, including cranial capacity and specific metrics, show high diversity compared to other Chinese hominins. Despite these variations, the specimens remain firmly categorized within the expected range for Homo erectus. This discovery is vital because it supports the hypothesis that Homo erectus inhabited Asia long before the emergence of pre-modern Homo sapiens. While the exact influence of these East Asian populations on modern human ancestry remains unclear, the fossils provide critical evidence for the long-term presence of our ancient predecessors in the region.

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