A long, long time ago in a country far, far away

He walked from the cave, a rasping sound emanating from his throat as he struggled to breathe. He stood at the cave entrance and looked across the landscape before him. Deer scattered through the valleys of rolling red hills. Below, people were starting to gather in the settlement that had been built next to the river. He reached out his hand and felt an energy pass through it, an energy that he would use to gain power over these people.

Darren Curnoe, from the University of New South Wales, and a team of scientists have identifed and associated a set of remains from southern China that suggest a new species in the history of human evolution. The rounded skulls and widening cheeks give a visual impression very similar to that of Darth Vader from the hit sci-fi movie franchise Star Wars. It makes you wonder whether we were their destiny…