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Homo Naledi May Have Followed Burial Rituals
The fossilised bones of 15
members of a previously unknown branch of the human family tree have
been discovered in a cave in South Africa, scientists said Thursday ,
hailing the find as a breakthrough in evolution research.
About 1,500
fossils were found deep in a cave system outside Johannesburg, hidden
in a chamber only accessible via several steep climbs and narrow rock
crevasses.
The hominid-described as a “new species“ of human --has been named Homo naledi after the “Rising Star“ cave where the bones were found. Naledi means “star“ in Sesotho, a local South African language.
Researchers said Homo naledi had a tiny brain, about the size of an average orange, perched atop a very slender body . Its hands suggest tool-using capabilities.
Experts are uncertain how old the bones are, but say they were probably placed there after death--a discovery that shines light on ancient human rituals.
“We have just met a new species of human relative that deliberately disposed of its dead,“ Lee Berger, project leader and palaeoanthropologist at Johannesburg's Uni versity of the Witwatersrand, announced as the fossils were unveiled.
“Until this moment we thought the idea of ritualised behaviours directed towards the dead... was actually unique to Homo sapiens. We saw ourselves as different. We have now seen, we believe, a species that had that same capability -and it is an extraordinary thing.“ Scientists hailed the dis covery of a new species, Homo naledi, on Thursday . “The discovery of so many fossils belonging to at least 15 individuals is remarkable,“ said Professor Chris Stringer, from the Natural History Museum in London, one of the lead analysts on the discovery .
The find highlighted “the complexity of the human family tree and the need for further research to understand the history and ultimate origins of our species,“ he added.
Scientists say the hands, wrists and feet of the bodies were similar to modern hu mans, but the brain size and upper body were much more like the earliest humans.“Homo naledi had a tiny brain, about the size of an average orange, perched atop a ve ry slender body ,“ said John Hawks, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a senior author on the academic paper detailing the new species. The hominid stood approximately 1.5 metres (about 5 feet) tall and weighed about 45 kg. “The hands suggest tool-using capabilities,“ said Tracy Kivell of the University of Kent, in Britain, who was part of the team that studied Homo naledi's anatomy.
“Surprisingly , Homo naledi has extremely curved fingers, more curved than almost any other species of early hominin, which clearly demonstrates climbing capabilities,“ she said.
The bones were first discovered in 2013 by Witwatersrand University scientists and volunteer cavers in the Cradle of Humankind site 50 km northwest of Johannesburg.
The hominid-described as a “new species“ of human --has been named Homo naledi after the “Rising Star“ cave where the bones were found. Naledi means “star“ in Sesotho, a local South African language.
Researchers said Homo naledi had a tiny brain, about the size of an average orange, perched atop a very slender body . Its hands suggest tool-using capabilities.
Experts are uncertain how old the bones are, but say they were probably placed there after death--a discovery that shines light on ancient human rituals.
“We have just met a new species of human relative that deliberately disposed of its dead,“ Lee Berger, project leader and palaeoanthropologist at Johannesburg's Uni versity of the Witwatersrand, announced as the fossils were unveiled.
“Until this moment we thought the idea of ritualised behaviours directed towards the dead... was actually unique to Homo sapiens. We saw ourselves as different. We have now seen, we believe, a species that had that same capability -and it is an extraordinary thing.“ Scientists hailed the dis covery of a new species, Homo naledi, on Thursday . “The discovery of so many fossils belonging to at least 15 individuals is remarkable,“ said Professor Chris Stringer, from the Natural History Museum in London, one of the lead analysts on the discovery .
The find highlighted “the complexity of the human family tree and the need for further research to understand the history and ultimate origins of our species,“ he added.
Scientists say the hands, wrists and feet of the bodies were similar to modern hu mans, but the brain size and upper body were much more like the earliest humans.“Homo naledi had a tiny brain, about the size of an average orange, perched atop a ve ry slender body ,“ said John Hawks, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a senior author on the academic paper detailing the new species. The hominid stood approximately 1.5 metres (about 5 feet) tall and weighed about 45 kg. “The hands suggest tool-using capabilities,“ said Tracy Kivell of the University of Kent, in Britain, who was part of the team that studied Homo naledi's anatomy.
“Surprisingly , Homo naledi has extremely curved fingers, more curved than almost any other species of early hominin, which clearly demonstrates climbing capabilities,“ she said.
The bones were first discovered in 2013 by Witwatersrand University scientists and volunteer cavers in the Cradle of Humankind site 50 km northwest of Johannesburg.
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