[UCT] Standing up to 3 m tall and weighing up to 600 kg, illustrations of the massive primate Gigantopithecus blacki call to mind the mythical Himalayan Yeti. Dental remains of the prehistoric ape, which lived in the tropical forests of south China, have been dated to 1.8 million years ago, and scientists now know they were ancient relatives of modern-day orangutans. This is thanks to advances in palaeoproteomics, keys to a vault of significant palaeontological data.
