Homo naledi is a strange mosaic of the ancient and the thoroughly modern.
Naledi's
brain was no bigger than an orange, scientists say. Its hands are
superficially human-like, but the finger bones are locked into a curve
-- a trait that suggests climbing and tool-using capabilities.
-- a trait that suggests climbing and tool-using capabilities.
Homo
naledi was relatively big: it stood about 5 feet tall, had long legs,
and its feet are almost identical to ours, suggesting it had the ability
to walk long distances.
"Overall,
Homo naledi looks like one of the most primitive members of our genus,
but it also has some surprisingly human-like features, enough to warrant
placing it in the genus Homo," says John Hawks of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, a senior author on the papers describing the new
species that were published Thursday.
The scientists can make these claims, in part, because of the sheer scale of the find.
In the vault at the University of Witwatersrand, hundreds of priceless specimens lie in padded cases across the room.
So
far they've unearthed more than 1,500 fossil remains in total -- the
largest single hominin find yet revealed on the continent of Africa, the
cradle of human evolution.
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