Fans are no strangers to witnessing Joe Rogan having his mind blown from time to time. From his interaction with Oz Pearlman or ‘Oz the Mentalist’, to listening to stories about the Amazon jungle from conservationist Paul Rosolie, the veteran UFC color commentator has often sought out guests who’d leave him absolutely dumbfounded.

The co-founder of ONNIT is definitely a jack of all trades, if not master of one, navigating a vast array of subjects with striking confidence, whether delving into the existential risks of artificial intelligence or marveling at his latest fascination: a million-year-old skull. Earlier today, the long-time UFC commentator hopped on Instagram to highlight a latest discovery, one he feels could rewrite history. 

Yunxian 2 leaves Joe Rogan stunned

“This is really nuts,” Joe Rogan wrote on Instagram, reacting to a BBC report. “This discovery of a million-year-old human skull pushes back the time Homo sapiens existed by at least 500,000 years.” So, what exactly was discovered? According to BBC News, scientists unearthed a fossilized skull — named Yunxian 2 — in Hubei Province, central China. 

The research team, led by Prof. Xijun Ni of Fudan University and Prof. Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London, compared the specimen with other human ancestors. For decades, experts believed Homo erectus evolved and later diverged into Neanderthals and Homo sapiens roughly 600,000 years ago. 

But this new study suggests that the split may have occurred closer to 800,000 years ago. Initially, Yunxian 2 was classified as Homo erectus, who lived a million years ago. However, fresh analysis revealed it was more likely an early form of Homo longi—a sister species to both Neanderthals and modern humans. 

The discovery suggests that advanced human species, including Homo sapiens, may have emerged at least half a million years earlier than previously believed. It also sheds light on fossil remains dating between 800,000 and 100,000 years ago that have long puzzled scientists in what is often called the “muddle in the middle.” 

With this earlier timeline, researchers can now classify these fossils more clearly, grouping them within the three major lineages: Homo sapiens, Homo longi, and Neanderthals. However, things aren’t all that simple!

Skepticism over the new findings

Despite Rogan’s excitement about the skull, some researchers remain cautious about the conclusions. Dr. Aylwyn Scally, a geneticist at Cambridge University, highlighted the uncertainty in fossil and genetic dating. “One has to be particularly tentative about the timing estimates, because those are very difficult to do, regardless of what evidence you’re looking at, be that genetic or fossil evidence,” he told BBC News. 

According to him, even the most sophisticated genetic datasets can be inaccurate, especially regarding placement of timelines. “Even with the largest amount of genetic data, it is very difficult to place a time when these populations may have co-existed to within 100,000 years, or even more.” Dr. Aylwyn Scally notes that the new finding is possible, but it remains uncertain. 

“That picture is still quite unclear to us,” Scally added, stressing the need for further supporting evidence. Yet, Joe Rogan, who is no stranger to talking about aliens and human evolution, appears to have accepted the findings of Prof. Xijun Ni and Prof. Chris Stringer. But what do you think?