The results show the Peking Man fossils came from ground layers that were 680, 000-780, 000 years old, making them about 200, 000 years older than had previously been believed.

BBC: 'Peking Man' older than thought

The common ancestor is, however, too recent for the new species to be a remnant of the first human excursion from Africa, the one that led to Java man and Peking man, now known as Homo erectus.

ECONOMIST: A new species of human

The Peking Man fossils are a vital component of the Out of Africa 1 migration theory, which proposes that Homo erectus first appeared in Africa around two million years ago before spreading north and east (modern humans, Homo sapiens, would follow much later and supplant all other Homo species).

BBC: 'Peking Man' older than thought

To calm rural discontent, larger cities now offer more generous compensation, Joyce Yanyun Man of Peking University says.

ECONOMIST: One year on, China��s most-hyped tax is still mostly hype

Jiao Weixin of Peking University says China would not have the technical ability to put a man on the moon for another 20 years, well beyond America's target return date.

ECONOMIST: China's space programme: Ni hao, Moon | The