Palaeoanthropological and molecular studies on the origin of modern humans in China

Abstract

This article briefly discusses the antiquity of the first humans of China dating probably to 1.7 myr in age. Their origin was in Africa. Human evolution in China can be summarised as an hypothesis: ‘Continuity with Hybridization’ based on fossil evidence shown in Pleistocene human skulls sharing common features, the morphological mosaic between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens, and evidence indicating gene flow into and out of China. Molecular studies concerning the origin of modem humans in China indicate that the majority or the entire genetic source of the modern Chinese comes from Africa. These papers provide different ages for the most recent common ancestor of modern humans and that of non-Africans. Some of these are much longer than the ages suggested by most of previous molecular studies.