Scientists have announced the discovery of 15 partial skeletons belonging to what is thought to be a previously unknown species of ancient human. The remains were recovered from the Rising Star cave in South Africa by a team female scientist-climbers specially selected to fit through a narrow, vertical shaft (just 8 inches wide at points) and reach the chamber of fossils below.
More than 1,500 fragments of bones were discovered in total — the largest single paleoanthropological find of its type in Africa — with the researchers, led by Professor Lee Berger, designating the species naledi, meaning “star” in the local Sesotho language. Berger and his colleagues have suggested that the remains could belong to one of the earliest members of the genus Homo (to which modern humans belong), although some scientists are more skeptical.
via The Verge
Image: John Hawks
