Fuyan Cave

Coordinates: 25°39′02.7″N 111°28′49.2″E / 25.650750°N 111.480333°E / 25.650750; 111.480333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Fuyan Cave
福岩洞
Fuyan Cave is located in China
Fuyan Cave
Shown within China
LocationHunan, China
Coordinates25°39′02.7″N 111°28′49.2″E / 25.650750°N 111.480333°E / 25.650750; 111.480333
Site notes
Excavation dates2011, 2013

Fuyan Cave (

cavities, a feature typically not found in teeth older than 50,000 years.[3] However, a later study focusing on autosomal DNA analysis of the remains challenged this assertion, and found that the remains were younger than previously suspected.[4]

Geology

Fuyan consists of three caves connected by tunnels.[5] The cave system has a volume of 3,000 m3 (110,000 cu ft)[5] and ranges over 3 km2 (1.2 sq mi).[3]

Discovery

Fuyan Cave was discovered in 1984.[1] The cave is located at latitude 25°39′02.7″N, longitude 111°28′49.2″E, at 232 m above sea level.[1]

The cave was excavated in 2011 over an area of 20 m2 (220 sq ft).[1] The 2011 excavation revealed 5 hominin teeth and fossil remains from 39 different mammalians species, including some extinct ones.[1] The cave was excavated in 2011 and in 2013.[6][5] The teeth were all discovered in the middle cave.[5]

Dating

The teeth were dated by dating nearby

stalagmites.[7][8][9] The stalagmites were dated to at least 80,000 years.[7] Since the teeth were found under rock over which the stalagmites had grown, the teeth must be older than 80,000 years old.[7] More recent ancient DNA analysis of these remains indicated that the remains dated instead to the Holocene, although these recent findings are still under review. [4]

Specimen number FY-HT2 (9380±90 BP) in new study was incorrect identified as human teeth.[10] Reconstructions of “deer-like” wear bear no resemblance to the pres-ervational reality of the tooth FY-HT-2.[11]

Implications

The discovery is important for many reasons. Previous to this discovery, the earliest evidence for fully modern humans outside the Arabian Peninsula (

Neanderthals in Europe preventing the entry of the modern humans.[2][12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "New Homonin Site Found in Daoxian County, Hunan Province of China".
  2. ^ a b c d e Martinón-Torres, María (Oct 14, 2015). "Homo sapiens to the East of Eden".
  3. ^
    S2CID 181399291
    .
  4. ^
    PMID 33558418
    .
  5. ^ a b c d "Here's Proof That the First Modern Humans Were Chinese". 14 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Scientists sink teeth into history of humans in Asia".
  7. ^
    TheGuardian.com
    .
  8. ^ Teeth from China reveal early human trek out of Africa, 2015
  9. ^ Wu Liu, María Martinón-Torres et al. The earliest unequivocally modern humans in southern China, 14 October 2015
  10. ^ María Martinón-Torres et al. On the misidentification and unreliable context of the new “human teeth” from Fuyan Cave (China), May 24, 2021
  11. ^ Darren Curnoe et al. Reply to Martinón-Torres et al. and Higham and Douka: Refusal to acknowledge dating complexities of Fuyan Cave strengthens our case, June 1, 2021
  12. ^
    S2CID 205246146
    .
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