The Chinese have never been keen on the Out of Africa theory, regarding it as region limited – as far as research. Most of the invesigations into early humnas, even now, takes place in Africa – and to some extent in Europe. Now, the Chinese are doing their own excavations of caves and rock shelters – and they have come up with a surprise. See https://phys.org/news/2023-08-china-human-lineage.html … and the research is published in the Journal of Human Evolution derived from a fossil jawbone and part of the skull, as well as some of its leg bones. It has been dated to around 300,000 years ago, contemporary with Neanderthals in Europe and western Asia. The bones in the face resemble those of modern humans, we are told, but not the jawbone. It also resembled, some features of Homo Eerectus – a predecessor of Neanderthals. The Chinese suggest it is a hybrid. We shall have to wait and see what the mainstream opinion with be, as time progresses.
At https://phys.org/news/2023-03-european-neanderthal-migration-hints-hidden.html … this all sounds a bit speculative and is based on modeling. The assumption is that Neanderthals reached southern Siberia from a modern perspective – that what is inhospitable today was likewise back in the Middle Palaeolithic. Hence, modeling has created a route avoiding regions considered difficult to traverse. The route goes south of the Caspian Sea region, in what is now northern Iran. The point they choose for the start of the migration is the Caucasus – because some fossil Neanderthals have been discovered there. In reality, the geography may have been quite different and a route around the top of the Caspian may have been possible. Neither do they know what caused the Neanderthals to explore central Asia and southern Siberia. All guesswork – but it kept them busy for a while.
At https://phys.org/news/2023-08-3d-linya-prehistoric-woman-pyrenean.html … refers to an excavation at Cova Gran rock shelter in Santa Linya in the La Noguera region of the Pyrenees foothills. A 14,000 year old skeleton of a small adult woman has been christened, Linya – the body of Noguera. The skeleton was buried under blocks of stone. The research is ongoing.
At https://phys.org/news/2023-08-art-roman-revealed.html … concerns Ropman water engineering, and water management.