Author Topic: New hominid from South Africa  (Read 2317 times)

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Offline Random Gal

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New hominid from South Africa
« on: September 10, 2015, 06:36:16 pm »
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34192447

Remains of 15 partial skeletons of a new hominid species, Homo naledi, were just described from a cave system in South Africa. This species is similar to Homo sapiens in a number of ways (especially the small teeth which are very humanlike), but many details of the arms, shoulders, and hips, the small braincase (about the size of a gorilla's), and pronounced brow ridge indicate it was more primitive, a potential link between the australopithecines and the genus Homo. These were definitely fully bipedal as well.

The site has not been narrowed down very well with regards to a date, which is the most important part in my opinion, but reportedly it could be up to 3 million years old, or slightly younger than Australopithecus afarensis.

Also intriguing is that the remains may have been deliberately placed in the cave, which the researchers cite as evidence of possible "ritual behavior."

It's good that we've got this many remains of the new species, and it could shed a lot of light on the origins of the genus Homo. Between these, Ardipithecus, and Australopithecus afarensis, the picture is really starting to fill in.

Offline lord gibbon

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Re: New hominid from South Africa
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2015, 07:24:01 pm »
But please, creationists, remind me again how there's no transitional species.
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Offline SpaceProg

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Re: New hominid from South Africa
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2015, 12:01:40 am »
I thought every species was a transitional species... since things are always changing, adapting, and evolving.

Offline mellenORL

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Re: New hominid from South Africa
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2015, 09:46:21 am »
I thought every species was a transitional species... since things are always changing, adapting, and evolving.


Well, except for fundies.

Anyway, it looks like there could be dozens and dozens of individual Homo Naledi in that cave, so at last an early ancestor species will be very thoroughly and easily studied in great detail.
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Offline Ultimate Paragon

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Re: New hominid from South Africa
« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2015, 10:19:41 am »
I thought every species was a transitional species... since things are always changing, adapting, and evolving.


Well, except for fundies.

Anyway, it looks like there could be dozens and dozens of individual Homo Naledi in that cave, so at last an early ancestor species will be very thoroughly and easily studied in great detail.

A veritable treasure trove for paleontologists.

Offline rookie

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Re: New hominid from South Africa
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2015, 12:16:15 pm »
For mankind in general, UP.
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Offline TheL

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Re: New hominid from South Africa
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2015, 02:29:40 pm »
This is so exciting!  I can't wait to hear what else scientists discover about this species--was it one of our ancestors or an evolutionary dead-end?
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Offline mellenORL

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Re: New hominid from South Africa
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2015, 11:15:11 pm »
Definitely a human ancestor.
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