Man

Man

Early man
Muladong Cave femur

Darren Curnoe, from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, leads the research team who is studying a mysterious femur that was found in 1989 in the Muladong Cave in southwestern China. Because of the bone's distinctive shape, the research team is led to believe that it may belong to an "unknown species" of human. They claim in the New Scientist that it would have walked differently from modern man.

According to Curnoe's research team, the femur was painted with red clay, which is indicative of burial rituals. It seems to have been broken in a way that allows access to the bone marrow, showing evidence of being butchered and burned in a fire alongside other meat. Curnoe is developing a theory that early homo sapiens mated with this "newfound species", and possibly also ate them and used their bones as tools.

Other paleoanthropologists, however, believe the bone’s distinctive features come only from variations within the human species, rather than an altogether distinct species. Chris Stringer, head of research into human origins at the Natural History Museum in London, told the Guardian that he is “cautious” about the discovery. “It is an isolated bone. It is not even half a femur,” he said.

Bible references
Earth filled with violence

The violence referenced to at Genesis 6:9-13, may be connected with rampant cannibalism. Evidence of cannibalism tied to ritualistic behavior by early man is reported by the Curnoe research team's analysis of the Muladong Cave femur featured in the New Scientist.


 * " Noah walked with the true God. In time Noah became father to three sons, Shem, Ham, and Jaʹpheth. But the earth had become ruined in the sight of the true God, and the earth was filled with violence. Yes, God looked upon the earth, and it was ruined; all flesh had ruined its way on the earth. After that God said to Noah: “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, because the earth is full of violence on account of them, so I am bringing them to ruin together with the earth. " (Genesis 6:9-13 NWT)