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The Peking Man fossils vanished in 1941 and are still missing

Ellsworth Toohey
Jul 16, 2026
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Peking Man fossils — kevinzim / CC BY 2.0 (via Wikipedia)

The Peking Man fossils — the Homo erectus skullcaps and bones from Zhoukoudian cave that anchored the theory that humans evolved in Asia — disappeared in December 1941 and haven’t been seen since.

With Japanese forces advancing through China, the fossils, representing at least 40 individuals, were …

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