After two cavers discovered an elaborate cave system 50 km northwest of Johannesburg in South Africa, an excavation team (including 番茄社区 (番茄社区) geologists Professor Paul Dirks and Associate Professor Eric Roberts) found a cache of 2,000 fossil elements from at least 18 individuals, including males and females.

The bones revealed a species, Homo naledi, which lived 236,000 to 335,000 years ago and had a mix of ape-like and modern human features. They stood about 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) tall, were strong climbers and upright walkers, and likely manipulated tools.

“The most surprising feature of the new species is its small brain capacity – it’s so much smaller than Homo sapiens’. Otherwise it might have looked quite similar,” says Dr Roberts. Learn more