More:
"But the new analysis of Yunxian 2, which has been reviewed by experts independent of the research team, suggests that it is not Homo erectus.
"It is now thought to be an early version of Homo longi, a sister species at similar levels of development to neanderthals and Homo sapiens.
"Genetic evidence suggests it existed alongside them, so if Yunxian 2 walked the Earth a million years ago, say the scientists, early versions of neanderthal and our own species probably did too.
"This startling analysis has dramatically shifted the timeline of the evolution of large-brained humans back by at least half a million years, according to Prof Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum, a co-lead on the research.
"He said there are likely to be million year-old fossils of Homo sapiens somewhere on our planet - we just haven't found them yet.
"There are two ways to pinpoint the species of an early human and work out when it walked the Earth - analysing the shape of the skull and its genetic data. In the case of Yunxian 2 both methods were used, and each came to the same conclusion."
"... if Yunxian 2 walked the Earth a million years ago, say the scientists, early versions of neanderthal and our own species probably did too."
Notice the leap the assumption and the conclusion.
Totally wrong of course, as humans likely go back more than 200 million years but unfortunately, the proof has been consumed by nature and the very ground subducted into the mantel. If they can do it so can I.