Dhaka, Sept. 28 -- year-old human skull discovered in China may push back the origin of modern humans by at least half a million years, according to a new study published in Science.

The fossil, known as Yunxian 2, was unearthed in Hubei Province and initially classified as Homo erectus. But new analysis led by scientists from China's Fudan University and the UK's Natural History Museum suggests it may instead belong to Homo longi - a sister species of both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.

If correct, researchers say the finding would mean early versions of our species and Neanderthals were already walking the Earth one million years ago, much earlier than previously thought.

Prof Xijun Ni of Fudan University, who co-led the study, said ...