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Hawks J, Elliott M, Schmid P, Churchill SE, Ruiter DJD, Roberts EM, Hilbert-Wolf H, Garvin HM, Williams SA, Delezene LK, Feuerriegel EM, Randolph-Quinney P, Kivell TL, Laird MF, Tawane G, DeSilva JM, Bailey SE, Brophy JK, Meyer MR, Skinner MM, Tocheri MW, VanSickle C, Walker CS, Campbell TL, Kuhn B, Kruger A, Tucker S, Gurtov A, Hlophe N, Hunter R, Morris H, Peixotto B, Ramalepa M, Rooyen DV, Tsikoane M, Boshoff P, Dirks PH, Berger LR. New fossil remains of Homo naledi from the Lesedi Chamber, South Africa. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28483039 PMCID: PMC5423776 DOI: 10.7554/elife.24232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Rising Star cave system has produced abundant fossil hominin remains within the Dinaledi Chamber, representing a minimum of 15 individuals attributed to Homo naledi. Further exploration led to the discovery of hominin material, now comprising 131 hominin specimens, within a second chamber, the Lesedi Chamber. The Lesedi Chamber is far separated from the Dinaledi Chamber within the Rising Star cave system, and represents a second depositional context for hominin remains. In each of three collection areas within the Lesedi Chamber, diagnostic skeletal material allows a clear attribution to H. naledi. Both adult and immature material is present. The hominin remains represent at least three individuals based upon duplication of elements, but more individuals are likely present based upon the spatial context. The most significant specimen is the near-complete cranium of a large individual, designated LES1, with an endocranial volume of approximately 610 ml and associated postcranial remains. The Lesedi Chamber skeletal sample extends our knowledge of the morphology and variation of H. naledi, and evidence of H. naledi from both recovery localities shows a consistent pattern of differentiation from other hominin species.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hawks
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States
| | - Marina Elliott
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Peter Schmid
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstr, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Steven E Churchill
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Darryl J de Ruiter
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Eric M Roberts
- Geosciences, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Hannah Hilbert-Wolf
- Geosciences, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Heather M Garvin
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology/Archaeology, Mercyhurst University, Erie, United States.,Department of Applied Forensic Sciences, Mercyhurst University, Erie, United States
| | - Scott A Williams
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, United States
| | - Lucas K Delezene
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, United States
| | - Elen M Feuerriegel
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Patrick Randolph-Quinney
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Forensic and Applied Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Myra F Laird
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Gaokgatlhe Tawane
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Jeremy M DeSilva
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States
| | - Shara E Bailey
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, United States
| | - Juliet K Brophy
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, United States
| | - Marc R Meyer
- Department of Anthropology, Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga, United States
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthew W Tocheri
- Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Canada.,Human Origins Program, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, United States
| | - Caroline VanSickle
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States.,Department of Anthropology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, United States
| | - Christopher S Walker
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, United States.,Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
| | - Timothy L Campbell
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Brian Kuhn
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ashley Kruger
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Steven Tucker
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Alia Gurtov
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States
| | - Nompumelelo Hlophe
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Rick Hunter
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Hannah Morris
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, United States
| | - Becca Peixotto
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, American University, Washington, United States
| | - Maropeng Ramalepa
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Dirk van Rooyen
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Mathabela Tsikoane
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Pedro Boshoff
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
| | - Paul Hgm Dirks
- Geosciences, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Lee R Berger
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
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Dirks PHGM, Berger LR, Roberts EM, Kramers JD, Hawks J, Randolph-Quinney PS, Elliott M, Musiba CM, Churchill SE, de Ruiter DJ, Schmid P, Backwell LR, Belyanin GA, Boshoff P, Hunter KL, Feuerriegel EM, Gurtov A, Harrison JDG, Hunter R, Kruger A, Morris H, Makhubela TV, Peixotto B, Tucker S. Geological and taphonomic context for the new hominin species Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26354289 PMCID: PMC4559842 DOI: 10.7554/elife.09561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe the physical context of the Dinaledi Chamber within the Rising Star cave, South Africa, which contains the fossils of Homo naledi. Approximately 1550 specimens of hominin remains have been recovered from at least 15 individuals, representing a small portion of the total fossil content. Macro-vertebrate fossils are exclusively H. naledi, and occur within clay-rich sediments derived from in situ weathering, and exogenous clay and silt, which entered the chamber through fractures that prevented passage of coarser-grained material. The chamber was always in the dark zone, and not accessible to non-hominins. Bone taphonomy indicates that hominin individuals reached the chamber complete, with disarticulation occurring during/after deposition. Hominins accumulated over time as older laminated mudstone units and sediment along the cave floor were eroded. Preliminary evidence is consistent with deliberate body disposal in a single location, by a hominin species other than Homo sapiens, at an as-yet unknown date. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09561.001 Modern humans, or Homo sapiens, are now the only living species in their genus. But as recently as 20,000 years ago there were other species that belonged to the genus Homo. Together with modern humans, these extinct human species, our immediate ancestors and their close relatives are collectively referred to as ‘hominins’. Now, Dirks et al. describe an unusual collection of hominin fossils that were found within the Dinaledi Chamber in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa. The fossils all belong to a newly discovered hominin species called Homo naledi, which is described in a related study by Berger et al. The unearthed fossils are the largest collection of hominin fossils from a single species ever to be discovered in Africa, and include the remains of at least 15 individuals and multiple examples of most of the bones in the skeleton. Dirks et al. explain that the assemblage from the Dinaledi Chamber is unusual because of the large number of fossils discovered so close together in a single chamber deep within the cave system. It is also unusual that no other large animal remains were found in the chamber, and that the bodies had not been damaged by scavengers or predators. The fossils were excavated from soft clay-rich sediments that had accumulated in the chamber over time; it also appears that the bodies were intact when they arrived in the chamber, and then started to decompose. Dirks et al. discuss a number of explanations as to how the remains came to rest in the Dinaledi Chamber, which range from whether Homo naledi lived in the caves to whether they were brought in by predators. Most of the evidence obtained so far is largely consistent with these bodies being deliberately disposed of in this single location by the same extinct hominin species. However, a number of other explanations cannot be completely ruled out and further investigation is now needed to uncover the series of events that resulted in this unique collection of hominin fossils. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09561.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul H G M Dirks
- Department of Earth and Oceans, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Lee R Berger
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Eric M Roberts
- Department of Earth and Oceans, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Jan D Kramers
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - John Hawks
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Patrick S Randolph-Quinney
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Marina Elliott
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Charles M Musiba
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Steven E Churchill
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Darryl J de Ruiter
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Peter Schmid
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lucinda R Backwell
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Georgy A Belyanin
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Pedro Boshoff
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - K Lindsay Hunter
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Elen M Feuerriegel
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Alia Gurtov
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - James du G Harrison
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rick Hunter
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ashley Kruger
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Hannah Morris
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tebogo V Makhubela
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Becca Peixotto
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Steven Tucker
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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