改写生命演化史！2025我国古生物学研究在多领域取得突破

Core Insights - The article highlights significant discoveries in paleontology from China, showcasing advancements in understanding the evolution of life on Earth, particularly the transition from dinosaurs to birds and the origins of early mammals and humans [1][6]. Group 1: Evolution of Birds - A new bird fossil named "Zhenghe Bamin Bird" was discovered in Fujian, which pushes back the timeline for the emergence of modern bird body structures by nearly 20 million years, indicating that key evolutionary processes began during the Jurassic period when dinosaurs were dominant [1][3]. - The "Chicago specimen" of Archaeopteryx, discovered through collaboration between Chinese and American researchers, provides critical evidence for the evolution of the skull and flight adaptations during the transition from dinosaurs to birds [3]. Group 2: Dinosaur Origins - The discovery of Wushi Wudinglong in Yunnan represents the oldest known sauropod dinosaur in East Asia, dating back approximately 200 million years, thus extending the fossil record of Chinese dinosaurs to an earlier period [4]. - Research on two ancient fossils revealed new evidence regarding the evolution of jaw joints from reptiles to mammals, indicating that this evolutionary path was not singular, as demonstrated by the unique jaw structure of Chuan Nan Duozhi Beast [4][6]. Group 3: Human Evolution - Significant findings in human evolution include the successful capture and sequencing of ancient human genomes from Yunnan, clarifying the genetic contributions of the so-called "ghost ancestors" to the Tibetan Plateau population [6]. - Innovative methods in ancient protein and DNA analysis confirmed that a nearly complete human skull found in Harbin belongs to the Denisovans, providing a clearer understanding of this extinct human lineage [6][8]. - Research on the digital reconstruction of the skull of Hubei Yunxian Man 2 revealed that it is an early representative of the Dragon Man lineage, suggesting that the divergence of modern humans, Dragon Man, and Neanderthals occurred around 1 million years ago, significantly altering the timeline of human evolution [6][8].