Prehistoric man, you keep on rocking: In what Chinese state media hails as "the greatest discovery since Peking Man," Chinese archaeologists from the Henan Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute have found a nearly complete human skull fossil dating from 100,000 years ago.
Researchers found the skull last month in Xuchang in 16 fragments, resting with stone and bone artifacts and over 30,000 animal fossils. The skull features protruding eyebrows and a small forehead, but most intriguingly, it retains a fossilized membrane on the inside, so scientists can "track the nerves of the Paleolithic ancestors," said archaeologist Li Zhanyang.
After two years of excavation, the archaeologists discovered the skull just days before leaving to party down for Chinese New Year.
"We expect more discoveries of importance," Li also said.
Peking Man was discovered in the 1920s and could be as old as 250,000-400,000 years, so Henan Man (though I prefer Peking Man 2) is a comparative spring chicken.
It's turning out to be a big day for unearthing skeletons.
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