The discovery of the fossils of an infant skull in a cave in South Africa, announced by the researchers on Thursday (4), brought to light the enigmas surrounding these distant ancestors of man, the Homo naledi, whose first evidence of their existence. in doubt some theories about evolution.
In Maropeng, near Johannesburg, 28 fragments of a small skull and six teeth were found.
For years, this rich paleoanthropological site, called the “Cradle of Humanity”, filled with caves and pre-human fossils and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, has been a treasure of information for paleontologists.
The remains were found in an almost inaccessible place, at the end of corridors that, in some parts, measure only 10 cm in width. However, for Homo naledi, moving through the cave was probably easier, according to one of the scientists who participated in the discovery, because they were smaller individuals and therefore “better climbers”, Tebogo Makhubela told AFP.
“The real mystery about this creature is why it ended up there,” said paleontologist Lee Berger, who directed the research. “Something amazing happened in this cave between 200 and 300,000 years ago.”
Although scientists refer to the infant fossil as if it were female, it has not yet been possible to determine its sex.
The bones of 15 individuals of this ancient human species were previously found elsewhere on the site in 2015. The species, known as a “star” in Sesoto, a local South African language, has been classified as of the genus Homo, the same to which they belong. modern humans.
His analysis had revealed a surprisingly small hominid, with traits as much of ancient species, about a million years old, as a tiny brain, as much more recent ones, as the feet of a contemporary wanderer and hands capable of handling tools.
The discovery could shed light on the transition, about 2 million years ago, from the primitive Australopithecus to the primate of the genus Homo, the direct ancestor of humans. The study was published in the scientific journal PaleoAnthropology.
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