When did our ancient ancestor Homo erectus first arrive in China out of Africa?

A direct ancestor of modern humans may have arrived in China much earlier than previously thought, according to a study that may rewrite our understanding of how early hominid species spread around the world.An analysis of Homo erectus fossils found in modern-day Hubei province using new techniques concluded that the remains were almost 1.8 million years old – pushing back their arrival date by around 600,000 years and suggesting the species may have spread across continents earlier and more successfully than scientists previously thought.While the species is believed to have originated in Africa before travelling across Eurasia, scientists are still trying to work out the precise timeline for its arrival in eastern Asia.In the latest study, researchers used a dating technique capable of accurately dating materials up to 5 million years old, far longer than the 50,000-year timespan for traditional carbon 14 dating techniques.The team from Shantou University, Nanjing Normal University and Shanxi University in China, as well as Purdue University and University of Hawaii in the US, published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances on February 18.Animal fossils were first found at the Yunxian archaeological site on the Han River in the 1960s and 70s, with three hominid skulls being unearthed over the subsequent decades.