next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Archaeologists who discovered fossil bones and teeth of a previously unknown human species that thrived more than 50,000 years ago in the northern Philippines say they plan more diggings and better protection of the popular limestone cave complex where the remains were unearthed.

Filipino archaeologist Armand Salvador Mijares said Thursday the discovery of the remains, which belonged to three individuals, in Callao Cave in Cagayan province made the Philippines an important research ground on human evolution. The new specie is called Homo luzonensis after the main northern island of Luzon, where the remains were dug up starting in 2007.

Another archaeologist, Eusebio Dizon, says the remains are the oldest to be found in the Philippines, predating those discovered in Tabon Cave by thousands of years.