For a long time, the “Out of Africa” theory has dominated in the scientific world. This theory posits that Homo sapiens originated in Africa around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago, with earlier ancestors (like Homo erectus) evolving about 1.8 to 2 million years ago.

However, a recent discovery has poked holes in this theory. Over in China, scientists recreated a skull related to what’s known as a Denisovan. For context, Denisovans and Neanderthals were seen as sister groups branching off around 700,000 to 500,000 years ago from a common ancestor.

The problem? This skull appears to be around a million years old, which means Denisovans and their close relatives like Homo longi existed much earlier than previously believed.

Not only that, but if Denisovan ancestors were already in East Asia a million years ago, it’s also possible that *other* important evolutionary events happened outside Africa. Specifically, in China. That’s right, folks — we could all be secretly Chinese.

Of course, there’s still a lot of research to be done, and this new discovery doesn’t necessarily disprove the “Out of Africa” theory, it just makes things a lot more complicated.

Sounds good — call me when you figure it out!