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Scientists show the world 'Dragon Man'
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Dragon Man - Level 0
A 146,000-year-old skull is from a new species of humans. Researchers called it "Dragon Man". The species could be our closest relatives. A Chinese man found the skull 90 years ago. He hid it in his garden to keep it safe from Japan's army. He recently told his family about it. They found it and gave it to scientists.
Dragon Man changes what we know about early humans. He looked more like us than other members of the human family tree. He is closer to modern-day humans than Neanderthals were. A researcher said he was a "hunter-gatherer". He lived off the land. He also lived in a place that was very, very cold.
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Dragon Man - Level 1
Researchers showed a 146,000-year-old skull to the world for the first time. It is from a new species of humans that could be our closest relatives. The researchers nicknamed the person the skull came from "Dragon Man". A Chinese worker found the skull almost 90 years ago. He hid it in his garden to keep it safe from Japan's army. The man recently told his family about the skull. His family found it and gave it to scientists.
Dragon Man could change what we know about evolution. He looked more like today's humans than other extinct members of the human family tree. He is closer to modern-day humans than Neanderthals were. A researcher wrote about 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 [lived] with even harsher cold than the Neanderthals."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Dragon Man - Level 2
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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."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Dragon Man - Level 3
Researchers in China have shown an ancient skull to the world for the first time. The skull could belong to a completely new species of humans that lived in Asia over 146,000 years ago. It could be from a group of humans that are the closest relatives to us. The researchers have nicknamed the person the skull came from "Dragon Man". It was originally found in the city of Harbin in 1933 but was kept hidden. The Japanese army occupied the city at the time. The Chinese worker who found the skull decided to keep it safe. He hid it at the bottom of his family's well. It stayed there for nearly 90 years. The man recently told his family about the skull before he died. His family located it and gave it to scientists.
Scientists say Dragon Man could greatly change our understanding of human evolution. They say it belonged to "a large-brained male in his 50s with deep-set eyes and thick eyebrow ridges". He looked more like today's humans than any other extinct members of the human family tree. The species Dragon Man belonged to is probably closer to modern-day humans than Neanderthals were. Researcher Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London 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."
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25 online activities | 27-page printable | 2-page mini-lesson
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