THE FOSSIL EVIDENCE FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION IN ASIA

The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the number of fossil human specimens discovered in China. A better understanding of the tempo and mode of human evolution in Asia during the Pleistocene can be gained as a result. This new evidence has important implications for understanding the course of human evolution not only in Asia but throughout the world. Major issues in human evolutionary studies such as the timing of the initial hominid dispersal event and the factors behind major transitions in the fossil record are addressed in light of these recent finds.