Homo Naledi

 

The recent discovery of  the Homo Naledi adds fundamental pieces to global research on our ancestors. A discovery that could rewrite the history of the evolution of our species.

A meter and a half high, modern humans and apes features, Homo Naledi is among our most ancient ancestors according to scientists. The discovery of the remains of this primitive hominid species occurred in a cave in South Africa near Johannesburg. The more than 1,500 bone remains unearthed, probably belonging to fifteen individuals, they have allowed scientists to reconstruct the appearance of man Naledi. Half ape, half-man, weighing about 45 kilograms and with a brain no bigger than an orange. As evidenced by the curved fingers of his hands, he could climb, and long legs show that he could walk and run. The age of Homo Naledi is one of the main problems to solve. It is argued that it should be at 3 million years.

The exceptional discovery of Homo Naledi is the scientific news of the moment but poses many questions. For example, the context in which they were found fossil reveals an extraordinary appearance: how they got skeletons in the cave? Now, the assumptions claim that predatory animals may have brought them there. Homo Naledi perhaps burying its dead and burial until now was considered a practice that began with the modern human being.

To answer these questions it will take decades. Science indeed is constantly evolving and there are many pages still to be written to more fully understand what we were in the past.