Lee Berger wanted to discover fossils that would be able to straighten out the origin of

our kind. He has continuously argued that H. habilis was much too ancient to be

positioned at the root of our genus. Many other scientists see eye to eye on the

proposition that it really should be called Australopithecus, but Berger believed that the

true place to look for the ultimate earliest Homo, was in South Africa. (ROSS and

ELLIOT, 2015) Ever since the day that Steve Tucker, Rick Hunter and Lee Berger

organized an excavation in order to explore the Dinaledi Chamber, a site that was very

hard and complex to access, excitement fluctuated for archaeologists and anthropologists

all over the world. It was in this chamber, where they discovered the fossil bones of

Homo naledi. The physical traits and characteristics of the Homo naledi species do not fit

evidently into the evolutionary family tree of humans. The American association of

physical anthropologists tried to account for this, by providing a all-inclusive view of the

biology of this newly-discovered species. Their traits were both very primitive and yet,

also very much derived. I think that the Homo Naledi species are the key to answering

questions related to our human origin and that they were far more civilized and human-

like than what we used to think. (Hawks, 2016)

Let’s take a look at the physical characteristics of the Homo naledi species in order to

gain a better understanding of what we currently know about ancient hominids. Lauren

Schroeder, Lucas Delezene and Matthew Skinner described their teeth as being indicative

of a high quality diet. Their well made hands, wrists, uniquely twisted upper arms and

slanted upward shoulders suggest that they were good climbers, capable of manipulating

objects and potential toolmakers. These findings link H. Naledi closely to the species of

our human genus. Their feet were also much more human than primitive. Adults of H.
naledi weighed anywhere between 40 and 55 kilograms and they were between 1.4 and

1.6 meters inheight. H. Naledi also walked a lot like humans do. Yet, H. Naelidi had very

small brains, trunks, shoulders, hips and fingers that contradict that picture. However,

despite the few contradictions, H. Naledi was adapted like a human in many ways.

(Hawks, 2016)

FIGURES: BY STEFAN FICHTEL. SOURCES: LEE BERGER AND PETER

SCHMID, WITS; JOHN HAWKS, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

How did the fossil remains of H. naledi get into a chamber that is so difficult to access?

By the current, existing evidence, it is almost perfectly clear that the individuals were

not living inside the cave. No stone tools or meal remains were found that could suggest

such habitation. There is a slight possibility that a group of H. naledi could have

entered the cave once and somehow got stuck inside it, but the dispersal of the fossil

bones suggested that they had instead been placed there over a very long time. Another
possibility is that carnivores dragged the bones into the caves, but if carnivores had

dragged the fossil bones into the cave, there would have been a lot of tooth marks on

them, and there weren’t any. There is always a possibility that the bones had been

moved into the cave by flowing water, but this possibility is not the case. If indeed the

bones were washed there by moving water, it would have moved stones and plants there

too, but that is not the case. The last possible explanation for the bone remains inside

the cave is that the bodies of H. naledi were intentionally put there, by other individuals

of H. naledi. Up to this day, only the Homo sapiens, and possibly the Neanderthals, are

known to have handled their deceased in such a ceremonial way. (ROSS and ELLIOT,

2015) Thus, it is clear that H. Naledi was much more civilized and human-like then we

initially thought, since there are no current, existing evidence that suggests that any other

species that old were ever involved in such highly valued ritual activities.

I think that there are still a lot of things that archaeologists and anthropologists don’t

know about our early ancestors. That is the exciting part of it all; if you are lucky enough,

like Steve Tucker, Rick Hunter and Lee Berger, you might just happen to stumble upon a

few fossils that can completely change the way we look at things. The recent discoveries

at the Cradle of Humankind have been absolutely groundbreaking. It has challenged the

previous beliefs that certain archaeologists held, and it will continue to do so in the

future. The discoveries of H. Naledi at the Dinaledi chamber is just one example of how

new fossils can completely sway all that we have known about a particular topic.
Bibliography

Hawks, J. (2016). The Latest on Homo naledi. Amer. Scientist, 104(4), p.198.

ROSS, and ELLIOT, (2015). This Face Changes the Human Story. But How?. [online]

News.nationalgeographic.com. Available at:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/

[Accessed 18 Oct. 2016].