Beijing - Chinese scientists believe that new discoveries support a theory that man ultimately descended from worms, state media reported on Wednesday.

Fossilised ancient worms found in the south-western Yunnan province represent the "first step" in a long evolutionary process that eventually led to the human species, the Xinhua news agency said.

The search should go on for more fossil evidence to test the theory in line with clues provided by modern zoological information, said Shu Degan, a professor at the China University.

"There is still a long way to go before we can determine a detailed chronology of the evolutionary process of vertebrates," Shu said, according to Xinhua. - Sapa-AFP