Homo naledi - New Species of Human Relative
South African fossils provide a fascinating look at hominid evolution
The unusual geology of the cave, as well as a lack of other archaeological remains, has made it difficult for the team of international scientists to date the new species - called Homo naledi. One of those scientists is Canada's Dr. Tracy Kivell, a Reader in Biological Anthroplogy at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England.
She helped determine that Homo naledi was an unusual combination of primitive and human-like features. An adult Homo naledi stood about 1.5 metres tall, weighed about 45 kilograms and was a rare combination of a tool user and tree climber. The discovery of Homo naledi points to the fact that there was greater variety and more evolutionary experimentation in our lineage than previously thought.
Related Links
- First paper in the journal eLife
- Second paper in eLife
- University of Kent release
- University of The Witwatersrand release
- CBC/AP News story
- National Geographic special edition - with videos and pictures
- The Atlantic story