Homo naledi, the latest hominin species to be added to the human family tree, still stirs quite the excitement in the scientific community almost four years after archaeologists dug up its bones.
The new species was discovered in South Africa in 2013 and got its name from the Rising Star cave system where its fossils were unearthed — the word naledi means "star" in the SeSotho language.
Because of its remarkable characteristics, our ancient relative made it to the 2016 To 10 New Species list, a selection of the most impressive newly discovered species published every year by the College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) at the State University of New York.
But the quest to find more answers about this new human ancestor is still ongoing, as researchers believe they've only just scratched the surface and expect to find more fossilized remains — possibly hundreds or even thousands — waiting to be brought to light so they can tell their tale.
The Discovery Of Homo Naledi
At the time, scientists from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, led by Prof. Lee Berger, uncovered around 1,500 fossil fragments belonging to at least 15 different individuals.
All the ancient bones were found stacked in the Dinaledi Chamber ("Chamber of Stars" in SeSotho) within the Rising Star cave system — part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.
This was surprising given the species small brain and led researchers to rethink the cognitive requirements needed for using tools.
But what makes Homo naledi truly special are the cultural practices the species seems to have followed. Our ancient relative may have done something previously thought to be unique to modern humans: burying their dead.
Sign Of A Highly Evolved Intelligence
The two separate discoveries of multiple fossils in different cave chambers of the Rising Star site led researchers to believe the hominins were intentionally storing the bodies of their dead into remote caches, signaling 'ritualized behavior.'
Although just a hypothesis, it would explain why the archaeologists found so many skeletal remains in such a dark and inaccessible spot.
The condition of the fossils suggests the individuals died of natural causes — the bones bear no clues to indicate they had fallen prey to carnivores or that their bodies were scavenged. They also seem to have been carried into the chamber by fellow hominins, at different moments in time.
What is more, among the fossils unearthed in the Dinaledi Chamber archaeologists found only a handful of bones belonging to other animals, such as mice and birds. This shows the remote space was not easily accessible and would have attracted few accidental visitors.
"We explored every alternative scenario, including mass death, an unknown carnivore, water transport from another location, or accidental death in a death trap, among others. In examining every other option, we were left with intentional body disposal by Homo naledi as the most plausible scenario," said Prof. Berger.
Researchers point out this is a sign of a highly evolved intelligence similar to the Homo sapiens.
