中国古人类研究现状

PRESENT STATUS OF CHINESE PALEOANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES

从古猿到能人的时期，在中国发现的化石，最重要的是在云南禄丰石灰坝发现的禄丰古猿和在广西、湖北等省发现的巨猿。从猿到人有一个过渡时期。这个时期开始的标志是两足直立行走，完成的标志是开始制造工具，社会形成。意识和语言萌发于制造工具之前。从直立人到智人的时期，在我国发现的直立人化石的地点，主要有北京周口店、云南元谋、陕西蓝田陈家窝和公王岭以及安徽和县等；早期智人化石的地点，主要有陕西大荔、辽宁营口金牛山、广东马坝、山西丁村和许家窑等；晚期智人化石的地点，主要有广西柳江、四川资阳、北京周口店山顶洞等。我国发现的各种人类化石，从直立人到晚期智人以至现代人，都具有一些共同的形态性状，表明其有一定的继承性，因此，支持现代人的多地区起源说。现代人仍在进化之中。明显表现在现代人的体外进化和精神进化两个方面。

The most important fossils from Miocene apes to Homo habilis found in China are Lufengpithecus and Gigantopithecus.As to Lufengpithecus, five crania, ten mandibles, more than 650 isolated teeth and a few limb bones were discovered in coalfields in Lufeng County, Yunnan Province and their age is estimated by the associated fauna to be 8-7Ma B.P. They have some features similar to Orangutan on the one hand and some features similar to the African apes and Australopithecines on the other hand. Lufengpithecus is probably close to the common ancestor of apes and humans.Three mandibles and more than one thousand isolated teeth of Gigantopithecus were found from Guangdong, Guangxi and Hubei of China.It seems to be an extinct side branch of the specialized giant ape.The present author believes that a transitional period should exist between ancient ape and human. This period begins with upright posture and ends with the making of tools accompanied with the formation of human society. It can be conceived that self-consciousness and speech should emerge before tool-making. In this period the creature or 'pre-human' can walk upright,constantly use natural wood sticks or stones to get foods and defend itself, and live a primitive grouping life with promiscuous sexual relations.Important Homo erectus fossils were found in Zhoukoudian, Beijing;Yuanmou,Yunnan Province; Lantian, Shaanxi Province and Hexian, Anhui Province. Whether the crania from Yunxian, Hubei Province and from Tangshan near Nanking are Homo erectus remain to be confirmed.Important early Homo sapiens fossils were found in Dan,Shaanxi Province;Jinniushan, Yingkou County, Liaoning Province; Maba, Guangdong Province; and Dingcun and Xujiayao, Shanxi Province. important late Homo sapiens fossils were found in Liujiang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Tzeyang, Szechuan Province ;and the Upper Cave ,Zhoukoudian,Beijing .All human fossils from Homo erectus through early Hoo sapiens to late Homo sapiens found in China share some common morphological features,indicating a continuous development of Homo erectus to modern chineses,Two hypotheses on the origin of modern humans have disputed for a long time:the regional contiumuity hypothesis and the replacement hypothesis .Recent molecular evidence supports the replacement hypoth fundus syooirt the multi-regional hypothesis.Whether modern humankind is still evolving ?It is an intetresig qestion If so,how is it evolving ?With recent advances of science and technology ,the present author put forward two aspects of evolution :extra -body evolution and spiritual evolution.