A group of researchers announced Wednesday they have discovered an ancient species in the Philippines related to humans.

“For the first time, the Philippines is part of the evolutionary debate,” said Armand Mijares, an archaeologist at the University of the Philippines, Diliman in Quezon City, who led the group of archaeologists that discovered the fossils which date back at least 50,000 years. “We can see now that the islands are a playground of human evolution and natural selection.”