Image via CBS, National Geographic
Scientists announced Thursday the discovery of what might be a new member of the human family tree.
American renowned paleontologist Lee Berger and his team recovered fossils from what appears to be an underground mass grave of an “almost human” creature located in a narrow warren of caves just outside Johannesburg, South Africa.
CBS reports,
“Berger has named the fossils Homo naledi: Homo indicating the creature's place in human evolution, and naledi being the word for ‘star’ in the local Sotho language.
“Berger claims it is a new species of human relative, likely from around the beginning of the evolution of the Homo genus. That would make the creatures somewhere around 2.5 million to 2.8 million years old.”
The paleontologist described its physical features:
"It's got a tiny head and ape-like body, but arms and legs that are very human-like," Berger told CBS, "something completely unexpected and we found it in incredible abundance."
Image via CBS, National Geographic
He and his team believe the creature walked upright.
What makes the discovery even more remarkable is how the place of excavation strongly resembles a human burial site.
“His team has identified the remains of 15 individuals among the fossils -- but here's what's important -- he believes they were deliberately disposing of their dead in the underground chamber,” writes CBS.
“Homo Naledi is not human, but Berger argues the creatures appear to have been practicing something that is uniquely human.”
Here's a preview of National Geographic's October 2015 issue on the potentially groundbreaking discovery:
