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Researchers Say S. African Bones Are From Previously Unknown Human Relative

Ancient, but so far undated, remains found in a South African cave (more than 1500 pieces of bone and teeth) have been declared by the team which discovered them to represent a previously unknown kind of human relative, which they have dubbed Homo naledi. New submitter chapman writes: The human-like bones discovered in the Rising Star cave, 50km from Johannesburg, may belong to a new species of "long-legged," "pinheaded," and "gangly" human relative. Apparently the chamber in the cave where the discovery was made is so inaccessible (only 8 inches wide) that the team brought in a group of lightly-built female researchers in order to excavate the bones. Science Mag, too, describes the find as well as the controversy about the unusual publicity surrounding the exploration. The Guardian's article notes that the identification of the bones as belonging to a new species is disputed by some anthropologists, who say that based on the evidence presented so far, the bones may simply be examples of the previouly named Homo erectus.

13 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Prehistoric NBA player? by cayenne8 · · Score: 2, Funny
    The description sounds like the predecessor to our present day NBA player!!

    :)

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    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    1. Re:Prehistoric NBA player? by cayenne8 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I know the topic of ethnic make-up of NBA players is a sensitive one

      Who mentioned anything about ethnic makeup of the NBA player?

      Based on the quote from the article:

      new species of "long-legged," "pinheaded," and "gangly" human relative

      This would apply to any tall, gangly player in the NBA, no matter what their race is......

      Geez, why does everyone rush to start playing or arguing the damned RACE card on any description of a human.

      The joke I was making was that ALL of the NBA players, by necessity of the sport, requires them to all be very tall, and gangly built (long legs, arms, etc).....

      Good Lord people, get off the PC train long enough to realize every comment on a human or group of humans is not based on racism. Try to laugh at a silly joke once in awhile maybe?

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      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  2. I'm not saying it's an alien, but... by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 3, Funny

    it's an alien.

  3. Really? by Rei · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't see how a population whose skulls are literally half the size of a typical H. erectus skull (among many other major differences) could be seen as just another H. erectus. And not just one, potentially deformed individual, but 15 individuals with the same characteristics. And even if they were the same species, this would still be a remarkable find - so many full, intact bodies in the same location. In a weird location, and in a land far from where H. erectus was known to have lived.

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    You don't exist. Go away.
  4. Re:Martians? by Rei · · Score: 5, Informative

    Are you talking about a particular incident or just in general? Martian meteorites are identified by the gas trapped within them, general isotopic ratios, and a number of other factors.

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    You don't exist. Go away.
  5. Re:But... but... "We're all the same"! by mschuyler · · Score: 2

    Carlton S. Coon has a less than stellar reputation among anthropologists and to cite his work as representative of the "facts" of anthropology is a disservice, to put it mildly. Hos views were used be segregationists to "prove" Blacks were inferior to whites. His original book on race deviated from the consensus reached by anthropologists (and the DNA evidence, among others) when he claimed that Whites were descended from Chimpanzees, Blacks from Gorillas, and Asians from the Orangutan. I don;t thoink you will be able to find any contemporary competent anthropologists who would make the kinds of claims you are making here supporting Coon, whose ideas have been thoroughly discredited in anthropological circles.

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    How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
  6. Re:Self promotion detector tingling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Er, this has been reviewed and published: http://elifesciences.org/

    If you page down in the Naledi article, you will see a transcript of the peer review.

    And no, I don't know why they didn't publish in NAture or Science, perhaps they aren't Apple users.

    Oddly, I was in this cave complex "Sterkfontein" just three weeks ago. The cave where this discovered is not on the toru path but damned well guarded.
    I am off to the Origins Centre at Wits University tomorrow to peek at the bones myself.

  7. Re:new speciies = new dig or PhD thesis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    We had a similar corundum in geological plate tectonics a couple decades ago.

    That must have been hard.

  8. Re:new speciies = new dig or PhD thesis by CastrTroy · · Score: 2

    What's interesting is that we don't even know all the land mammals yet. I mean, I can understand not cataloging every virus, bacterium, insect, plant, and ocean animal, but the fact that there are so many undocumented land mammals and amphibians kind of blows my mind. There's so much left to discover in this world.

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    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  9. Re:Tell me more... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

    There are two big reasons Lara Croft wouldn't fit through those crevices.

  10. Re:But... but... "We're all the same"! by Holi · · Score: 2

    Then again we are responding to a racist troll.

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    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  11. Re:new speciies = new dig or PhD thesis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Read the summary:

    Apparently the chamber in the cave where the discovery was made is so inaccessible (only 8 inches wide) that the team brought in a group of lightly-built female researchers in order to excavate the bones.

    Back in the day they sent the tallest gangliest guy in since no one else could both fit in and reach through some hole for something. Then he got trapped. Many years later people find his bones and once again send in a team of specially proportioned people. If they had gotten trapped, future generations would be calling them a new species.

  12. Re:But... but... "We're all the same"! by dryeo · · Score: 2

    The end goal of evolution is survival and the most evolved are those genes that are still around.

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    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism