Academics are digging in
Since Homo naledi was discovered in 2015, controversy has surrounded the fossilised remains found deep within the Rising Star cave system in the Cradle of Humankind.
The age of the fossils and whether the species lived alongside humans were hotly debated. Claims that Homo naledi deliberately buried their dead were also a point of dispute.
A consistently critical voice has been that of Professor Francis Thackeray of Wits, who said far more research was needed before any such theory could be solidly proven.
“With a sense of humility, we do not have all the answers to a growing number of questions about the spectrum of human diversity through time,” he said, after it was claimed that modern humankind lived at the same time as Homo naledi.
This week, he said of new research on the species’ dental remains: “I would like to congratulate Debra Bolter and co-authors on this very interesting and important study regarding Homo naledi.”