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Scientists discover a new early man
A research team has discovered a hitherto undiscovered human species in northwest Johannesburg, South Africa. As the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig reports, more than 1,500 pieces of fossils were found in a cave that could be assigned to children, adults and the elderly. Apparently, the "Homo naledi" had deliberately deposited the bodies of his dead in the remote room. A new, interesting finding, because a burial of the dead has so far been attributed in science only to modern man.
Remnants had to be salvaged by special team
Scientists have found the fossil remains of a previously unknown human species in a cave in South Africa. This is reported by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. Researchers at the University of Witwatersrand discovered the fossils back in 2013 in the Rising Star Cave in northwest Johannesburg. The fossils would have been in a chamber about 90 meters from the cave entrance, accessible only by a very narrow channel, so that the remains would have to be salvaged by a special team of very slender people.
A new genus of humans discovered. Picture: crimson - fotolia Altogether, more than 1,550 fossil parts have been collected, which is the largest fossil human remains to date on the African continent, writes the Max Planck Institute. But that's not all: the unknown human species apparently put the dead into the remote chamber. An interesting insight, because so far scientists had attributed a funeral of deceased only to modern humans, the report goes on.
Conscious burial of the dead represents the most plausible variant
The fossils could have been assigned to infants, children, adults and the elderly. They were found in a low-lying room that was "always isolated from the other chambers" and "never directly open to the surface," explains Paul Dirks of James Cook University in Australia. The bones showed no signs of scavengers and predators, and there was no evidence that the individuals were infected, for example. By natural processes such as running water have entered the chamber.
"We have gone through numerous scenarios: for example, a mass extinction, an unknown predator, the transport from another location into the chamber with the help of water or accidental death in a death trap," says team leader Lee Berger. After excluding all other options, the most plausible option being the deliberate removal of the dead, the professor at the University of Witwatersrand and researcher for National Geographic continues: "Such a situation is unique in the human fossil record."
New human species has its place within the genus "Homo" safely
The unknown human species was named "Homo naledi", in reference to the Rising Star Cave in which it was found, because "naledi" means "star" in Sosotho, a language spoken in the region, the Max Planck Society reports. Institute. There are similarities to the earliest members of our genus, but also some surprisingly human-like qualities, which makes him secure his place within the genus Homo, says John Hawks.
"Homo naledi had a tiny brain the size of an orange and a very delicate physique." He was on average about 1.50 meters tall and weighed about 45 kilograms, adds the expert. Teeth and skulls would resemble those of the earliest members of the human genus, such as the homo habilis, while the shoulders would resemble those of apes.
"His hands could use tools," says Tracy Kivell, who also works at the University of Kent and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. However, the fingers of Homo naledi are surprisingly more curved than those of most other early species, suggesting that he could climb, the expert continued.
Feet are similar to those of modern humans
By contrast, feet are barely distinguishable from those of a modern man, adds William Harcourt-Smith of Lehman College, CUNY, and the American Museum of Natural History. This, coupled with his long legs, would indicate that he could walk long distances on foot. "The combination of the anatomical properties of Homo naledi distinguishes him from all known types of human beings," sums up team leader Berger. (No)