Scientists find a partial skull and teeth of a Homo naledi child who died almost 250,000 years ago when it was approximately four to six years old in a cave in South Africa
The fossil remains of an early hominid child have been discovered in a cave in South Africa by a team of international and South African researchers.
The team announced the discovery of a partial skull and teeth of a Homo naledi child who died almost 250,000 years ago when it was approximately four to six years old. The remains were found in a remote part of the cave that suggests the body had been placed there on purpose, in what could be a kind of grave, said the announcement Thursday.
The placement “adds mystery as to how these many remains came to be in these remote, dark spaces of the Rising Star Cave system,” said Professor Guy Berger of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, who led the team and made the announcement Thursday. Homo naledi is a species of archaic human found in the Rising Star Cave, Cradle of Humankind, 50 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg. Homo naledi dates to the Middle Pleistocene era 335,000–236,000 years ago. The initial discovery, first publicly announced in 2015, comprises 1,550 specimens, representing 737 different elements, and at least 15 different individuals.
“Homo naledi remains one of the most enigmatic ancient human relatives ever discovered,” said Berger. “It is clearly a primitive species, existing at a time when previously we thought only modern humans were in Africa. Its very presence at that time and in this place complexifies our understanding of who did what first concerning the invention of complex stone tool cultures and even ritual practices.”This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
South Africa’s ANC records worst poll result, admits voters ‘disappointed’ with partyForty-six per cent of votes cast for South Africa’s ANC suggest anger over corruption and poor service delivery had led some voters to defect from the party and others to stay away
Read more »
Colts floundering in AFC South, but Henry injury gives hopeColts head coach Frank Reich still has hope as Indianapolis prepares to host New York Jets
Read more »
South African Damon Galgut wins Booker Prize for 'The Promise'South African writer Damon Galgut won the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction on Wednesday with “The Promise,” a novel about one white family's reckoning with South Africa's racist history.
Read more »
Ruling ANC suffers decline in South African election as voter disillusionment growsSouth African local election results signal new era in South African politics, as elections becoming more competitive and major cities increasingly likely to be governed by informal coalitions of two or more parties
Read more »
South African Damon Galgut wins Booker Prize for 'The Promise'South African writer Damon Galgut won the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction on Wednesday with “The Promise,” a novel about one white family's reckoning with South Africa's racist history.
Read more »
South Africa’s ANC records worst poll result, admits voters ‘disappointed’ with partyForty-six per cent of votes cast for South Africa’s ANC suggest anger over corruption and poor service delivery had led some voters to defect from the party and others to stay away
Read more »