Still feel as if you’re not quite yet on top of the biggest science news coming out of South Africa this week? About the latest news about Homo naledi? Here’s a few essential links:
Here’s the full press release from Wits University. The first two paragraphs read:
“The Rising Star Cave system in South Africa has revealed yet more important discoveries, only a year and a half after it was announced that the richest fossil hominin site in Africa had been discovered, and that it contained a new hominin species named Homo naledi by the scientists who described it.
The age of the original Homo naledi remains from the Dinaledi Chamber has been revealed to be startlingly young in age. Homo naledi, which was first announced in September 2015, was alive sometime between 335 and 236 thousand years ago. This places this population of primitive small-brained hominins at a time and place that it is likely they lived alongside Homo sapiens. This is the first time that it has been demonstrated that another species of hominin survived alongside the first humans in Africa.
You could also read what South African science writer Sarah Wild, wrote about it in the journal Nature.
https://www.nature.com/news/small-brained-early-human-lived-more-recently-than-expected-1.21961
This article in New Scientist provides some perspective on the importance and relevance of this week’s revelations.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2128834-homo-naledi-is-only-250000-years-old-heres-why-that-matters/
Jy kan ook daaroor lees hier in Afrikaans, in berigte deur Elsabe Brits vir Media24.
http://www.netwerk24.com/Nuus/Wetenskap/fossielvonds-kan-mense-help-verenig-20170509
Watch the announcement here:
http://ewn.co.za/2017/05/09/discovery-finds-homo-naledi-dates-back-236-000-years
http://www.netwerk24.com/Nuus/Wetenskap/skedel-se-ons-was-nie-alleen-20170509
For those really interested in the full details, there’s good news. All the research has been published in the open access journal, eLife Sciences. Follow this link.