关键词: 智人;颅骨特征;牙齿特征;连续进化;杂交;现代人起源;中国

Abstract: In 1993 Brauer and I reported several cranial features that existed both in the broad spectrum o f African archaic Homo sapiens and the narrow spectrum o f archaic Chinese variation. For instance: the mo st prominent point o n the frontal squama is low er in Chinese specimens, while some are in a similarly lower position and others are higher in African crania; the inferior margin o f the cheek bones forms a curve in Chinese specimens, but varies from a curved to a straight form in the Africans; the broadest point o n the neuro cranium as seen in superior view is found in the middle third in the Chinese, but its position varies from the middle to the posterior thirds in the Africans; the meeting of the inferior margin o f the zygomatic process of the maxilla and the alveolar wall is well above the alveolar margin in the Chinese, while it varies from a low to a high position in the African specimens. We explained the narrow spectrum of genetic variation in China by genetic drift.
In the present paper I find that in later Chinese crania , the condition of the above-mentioned features is the same as in the earlier archaic crania. Chinese populations continuously present a narrow spectrum of variation that occupies the same pa rt of a broad spectrum ( Tables 1, 2).
According to the Eve theory, the late Homo sapiens populations of China described above w ere derived from the earlier archaic Homo sapiens in Africa via the early modern humans who evolved there. How ca n we ex plain the same narrow spectrum o f features in these earlier and later Chinese samples if the earlier did not evolve into the later? One possibility is common selection, presumably the same evolutionary response to the East Asia n environment. If this seems improbable for the above-mentioned features, genetic drift might be the most reasonable alternative explanation. It is certainly possible that drift a t a later time could limit the broad spectrum o f variation for a feature in a later East Asia n population evolving from a late Africa nancestor in the same way drift limited its variation an earlier East Asian population evolving independently from an earlier African a ncestor. But this is a very convoluted and improbable explanation for all four o f the above-mentioned traits, which I found to occupy the same narrow part of the broad Africa n spectrum in the archaic and later Chinese samples. Therefore, the Eve theory is an unlikely explanation for the origin o f modern East Asian populations. To the contrary , the similarity of the narrow spectrum of variation in archaic and more recent East Asians is best explained by descent.
Dental evidence suggests the same explanation. Turner ( 1987, 1990) and Irish ( 1997) have show n that many dental features strongly contrast Africans and east Asians. For instance, the frequency of shovel-shaped incisors is much higher in East Asians. If the Eve theory is correct, the rapid increase in shoveling frequency poses a serious problem, while the continuation of high frequencies from earlier archaic East Asian samples to modern ones is more reasonably explained by continuous evolution in the region. In fact, all maxillary incisors dated to the Pleistocene found thus fa r in East Asia are shoveled.
Finally , if the Eve theory w as correct it should be reflected in the Paleolithic archaeology. I would expect that early modern invaders from Western Asia would bring Mousterian culture to China, since the earliest moderns in Near East a re associated with this distinctive culture. However, there is only one site with Mousterian artifacts in the Chinese Paleolithic. This is Shuidonggou, in the northwestern pa rt of the country. There is no sharp contrast between earlier and later Paleolithic cultures in China, which should exist if replacement o f human populations had taken place.
In short, continuous evolution of human populations in China from at least the Middle Pleistocene on is strongly supported by cranial, dental, and archaeological data.
Meanwhile it is necessary to indicate also that in the orgin of modern humans of China there was gene flow between China and other areas which was suggested by some morphological features on the a. m. skulls o f China such as the chignon-like structures in Liujiang , Ziyang etc and more laterally facing of the antero-lateral surface of the spheno-frontal process of the zygomatic bone of the Upper Cave skull no. 102 etc. These features have never been show n in earlier skulls of China but a re typical for Neandertals. Therefore the evolutionary model of the origin of modern humans in China may be summarized as“ Continuity with hybridization” . Continuity indicates the main process and the hybridization the subsidiary one. This is the another description or sub-model of the“ Multireginal evolution hypothesis” for East Asian context. It is probably also suitable for longer course in human evolution of China.
Different regions of the World might have different sub-models for the origins o f modern humans. More replacement with less continuity might occur in Europe than in East Asia. The sub-models for Africa and Australasia might be all different from those in both East Asia and Europe.

Key words: Homo sapiens, Cranial feature, Dental feature, Continuity , Hybridization, Origin of modern humans, China