Homo Naledi cranium lateral. Supplied by Wits University. Homo Naledi cranium lateral. Supplied by Wits University.
Yesterday saw the highly anticipated official opening of the Almost Human exhibition featuring the latest Homo naledi findings and for the first time showcasing the fossils of Neo.
The Almost Human exhibition displays several of the fossils that were discovered over the years.
A second discovery site has been named the Lesedi chambers meaning "light" in Tswana. Excavations in this area have recovered two adults and an infant, all of whom fall within the range of variation known for Homo Naledi.
Visitors will experience the groundbreaking finding of Homo naledi as they will get to see the material that was used to retrieve fragments of fossils of what is now known as Homo naledi.
With state-of-the-art facility the room has videos showing the scientists working on the discovery of Homo naledi in 2013.
On May 8, scientists released information that our most recently discovered relative, Homo naledi, lived between 236000 and 335 000 years ago.
The date came as a surprise to academics as it placed Homo naledi on the African landscape at a time when early humans were beginning to evolve modern traits.
In a second research paper, the team, led by Professor Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, announced that it had discovered yet another chamber in the cave system separate from the first, containing abundant remains of Homo naledi.
Berger told sister newspaper The Star the 1 000 fossils fragments on display were just half of those discovered from the Lesedi chambers which is still a work in progress.
Michael Worsnip, managing director at Maropeng Cradle of Humankind, said when Homo naledi was first shown to the world in 2015 the interest was phenomenal. “All the fossils were opening a window into the puzzle of what it means to be human,” he said.
He said it looks like there has been some deliberate disposal of species’ dead, and nothing else could explain the chamber’s collection of Homo naledi bones.
That extraordinary story is what brings people to Maropeng.