Japan’s earliest ‘humans’ may not have been human after all: New study rewrites what we know about the first inhabitants
etimes.in / Jun 01, 2026, 13:03 (IST)
In a surprising twist, Japan's so-called oldest human fossil, 'Ushikawa Man,' has been stripped of its title and redefined as bear bones after decades of study. This revelation, brought to light by cutting-edge imaging techniques, reshapes the timeline of human existence on the Japanese mainland, pushing the earliest confirmed remains back to between 14,000 and 18,000 years ago.