The earliest ancestors of modern humans may have evolved in central China, not North Africa, as previously thought.
Remote ancestors of humans may have lived 45 million years ago in Henan, Jiangsu, Shanxi and Yunnan provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
This theory is based on discovery of prehistoric Eosimiid primate fossils between 1985-1994, which showed characteristics of higher primates.
They were found in Mianchi County’s Rencun Village, in Henan.
Before the discovery, the world’s oldest known higher primate fossils were found in Fayum region in North Africa, and could be traced back 35 million years.
Finding the Eosimiid fossils has pushed back human origins 10 million years.