Paper short abstract:

Asia lagged behind Africa and Europe in attention in studies of human evolution, but new discoveries and recent developments in dating techniques transform perception of antiquity and complexity of human evolution revealed in this overview highlighting major issues that still need elucidating.

Paper long abstract:

I review here the most important recent discoveries and changes in perception that are relevant to human evolutionary studies in Asia. The most important recent fossil discoveries are undoubtedly those of an early form of Homo erectus from Dmanisi, Georgia (1.75 Ma), and the late Pleistocene hobbit, H. floresiensis, from Flores, Indonesia. These apart, the most important changes have come about through the application of improved dating techniques to previous finds. These have considerably extended the time-depth of H. erectus in Asia, and in India, North China and SE Asia, it now extends back to at least 1.5 - 1.6 Ma. Major changes have also taken place in studies of recent human evolution in Asia. Although current archaeological, fossil human and genetic evidence indicates that our species dispersed across southern Asia between 40 and 60 ka, this process may have begun much earlier, and perhaps as early as the last interglacial. It is likely also considerably more complex that envisaged a few years ago because of genetic studies indicating that Neanderthals and H. sapiens in Eurasia (but not Africa) interbred, and thus all modern Eurasians contain some Neanderthal DNA. Additionally, analysis of the ancient DNA of a human phalange from Siberia indicates a sister population of "Denisovans" to Neanderthals that also contributed DNA to modern populations in Melanesia and SE Asia. Although several major gaps still exist in our understanding of human evolution in Asia, we are now beginning to glimpse its antiquity and complexity.

Professor ROBIN DENNELL: Key Paper. University of Sheffield, UK

email: r.dennell@sheffield.ac.uk