Research Progress of Human Origins

The birth of human is a miracle in earth history, and the earliest human could be traced back to Sahelanthropus tchadensis, who had existed for at least about seven million years. In cultural anthropology, human is defined as a creature capable of using language, having a complex social organization, and science and technology. The origin of human has always been the focus of the field of paleoanthropology, including creationism, theory of evolution, panspermia, and aquatic ape hypothesis. Although there is some evidence to support each hypothesis, conclusive evidence is still lacking. China has a favorable geographical location and a good foundation in the field of paleoanthropology and related disciplines. The scientists from China successively discovered the fossils of Homo erectus, Heidelberg man, Homo sapiens and Danisova man, and made an important breakthrough in the “from fish to man” research. However, the exploration of the origin of human beings in China is facing challenges such as extensive research fields, lack of high-level scientific research bases and insufficient fossil discovery and identification. It is suggested that the research on the origin of human beings in China should focus on the three fields of land, ocean, and space, find more fossils and evidence, strengthen the identification and research of fossils, and cultivate more talents with international perspectives through the construction of high-level research bases and cross collaboration.