African chamber of secrets reveals new human species
Maropeng (South Africa)
AGENCIES
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 on 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 Wi****ersrand, 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.“ “There are potentially hundreds if not thousands of remains of Homo naledi still down there,“ said Lee Berger, research professor in Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of Wi****ersrand, South Africa. The creature shows a surprising mix of human-like and more primitive characteristics that some experts called “bizarre“ and “weird.“ And the discovery presents some key mysteries: How old are the bones? How did they get into that chamber, reachable only by a complicated pathway that includes squeezing through passages as narrow as about 7 inches? The creature, which evi dently walked upright, represents a mix of traits. For example, the hands and feet look like Homo, but the shoulders and the small brain recall Homo's more ape-like ancestors, the researchers said.
Berger said Naledi's anatomy suggest that it arose at or near the root of the Homo group, which would make the species some 2.5 million to 2.8 million years old. The discovered bones themselves may be younger, said Berger, an American. The researchers also announced the discovery in the journal eLife.They said they were unable to determine an age for the fossils because of unusual characteristics of the site, but that they are still trying. Berger said researchers are not claiming that Naledi was a direct ancestor of modern-day people, and experts unconnected to the project said they believed it was not.
Berger handed a skull reconstruction to deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, who kissed it, as did other VIPs. Berger beamed throughout the unveiling.
-- Edited by Admin on Saturday 12th of September 2015 12:04:41 PM
TRACING LINEAGE - `Naledi fossils may give insight into origins of H. sapiens'
Kounteya Sinha
London
Thousands of fossils, which could add up to 15 more Homo naledis lie untouched inside the South African cave at Cradle of Humankind world heritage site, according a scientist behind unearthing of the new species.
Matthew Skinner, ex pert of biological anthropology at the University of Kent told TOI that the remains will “give insight into origins of the lineage which eventually led to the appearance of our own species, Homo sapiens“.
He said, “It is the combination of both modern and ancient traits that makes us confident this is a new species. Further analysis is required to tell us what this speci es ate and age of the remains are.“ Professor Paul Dirks said they will return to the caves before year end for further mapping and sampling. He said, “most important thing is to obtain a detailed and reliable date for the fossils so that they can be placed within a better constrained evolutionary con text. Conside ring the geolo gical condi tions in the cave, this is a difficult task.“
Experts said that with a small head and brain, hunched shoulders, powerful hands and thin limbs, Homo naledi was built for long-distance walking and stood about five feet tall, was broad chested, walked upright and had a face, including a smile that was more human than apelike. Powerful hands imply it was also a climber.
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 on 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 Wi****ersrand, 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.“ “There are potentially hundreds if not thousands of remains of Homo naledi still down there,“ said Lee Berger, research professor in Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of Wi****ersrand, South Africa. The creature shows a surprising mix of human-like and more primitive characteristics that some experts called “bizarre“ and “weird.“ And the discovery presents some key mysteries: How old are the bones? How did they get into that chamber, reachable only by a complicated pathway that includes squeezing through passages as narrow as about 7 inches? The creature, which evi dently walked upright, represents a mix of traits. For example, the hands and feet look like Homo, but the shoulders and the small brain recall Homo's more ape-like ancestors, the researchers said.
Berger said Naledi's anatomy suggest that it arose at or near the root of the Homo group, which would make the species some 2.5 million to 2.8 million years old. The discovered bones themselves may be younger, said Berger, an American. The researchers also announced the discovery in the journal eLife.They said they were unable to determine an age for the fossils because of unusual characteristics of the site, but that they are still trying. Berger said researchers are not claiming that Naledi was a direct ancestor of modern-day people.
Jagged rocks hooked into Steven Tucker's overalls as he squeezed through a crack deep in a subterranean cave.Upon emerging at the other end, he saw he was in a chamber with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Then his headlamp shone onto a bone.Then more bones, and half of a skull. It was the night of September 13, 2013, and Tucker and his caving partner had just discovered the remains of what scientists would later determine to be a new member of the human family tree.
Tucker was only trying to get out of fellow caver Rick Hunter's way , inching to the side, on a different intended route when he stepped into the crack in the network of caves known as Rising Star. He'd heard of the crack before, but despite having been down this cave more than 20 times before, he had never noticed it.
He shone his headlamp down the dark crevice, and couldn't see where it ended. He knew of at least one other caver who also stared down the crack, and decided it was too dangerous. He began to lower himself, feet-first, into the narrow vertical opening.
Tucker, just wiry enough to fit, followed the crack deeper into the earth for nearly 12 meters). “It's 18cm wide, with these jagged rocks, sticking into you from all sides. And suddenly at the bottom, it opens up into a large chamber with really stunning stalactites,“ Tucker said. The 50,000hectare area of hilly grasslands where the two were spelunking is recognized as the Cradle of Humankind, featuring a network of caves that has yielded nearly 40% of known hominid fossils, according to the University of the Wi****ersrand. But the bones in this chamber had apparently remained undiscovered until Tucker entered it.
