Researchers showed an ancient skull to the world for the first time. The skull belongs to a new species of humans that lived in China 146,000 years ago. The species could be our closest relatives. The researchers nicknamed the person the skull came from "Dragon Man". It was originally found in the city of Harbin in 1933. The Chinese worker who found the skull decided to keep it safe from the Japanese army. He hid it at the bottom of his well. It stayed there for nearly 90 years. The man recently told his family about the skull. His family located it and gave it to scientists.
Dragon Man could change our understanding of human evolution. He was "a large-brained male in his 50s with deep-set eyes". He looked more like today's humans than other extinct members of the human family tree. Scientists say Dragon Man is closer to modern-day humans than Neanderthals were. Researcher Chris Stringer described Dragon Man's group. He said: "This population would have been hunter-gatherers, living off the land. From the winter temperatures in Harbin today, it looks like they were coping with even harsher cold than the Neanderthals."