On September 10th 2015, scientists in South Africa announced that they had discovered what they believed to be a new species of human. The fossil find was made while searching the Rising Star Cave. The remains, which were many, covered the earthen floor just beyond the caves narrow entrance. Deep within what is being called the Dinaledi Chamber were the 1,500 bones of approx 15 hominids that have been named Homo Naledi.
The international team that made the discovery consisted of 60 scientists who were led by Lee R Burger. Burger is an American paleontologist and a professor of human evolution studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Burger says that the species' name, Homo Naledi, is derived from the cave where the remains were found, and that "naledi" means "star" in the local Sesotho language.
Researchers analyzing the Homo Naledi remains have yet to determine the actual age of the fossils. A determination has been difficult due to the muddled chamber contents and the absence of fauna. Because the species had a brain no larger than an orange, Dr Burger believes that it might have evolved near the root of the Homo genus. If this is true, then it's possible that Homo Naledi may have lived 2.5 to 2.8 million years ago.
The scientists who made the discovery have noted that Homo Naledi has a combination of both primitive as well as modern characteristics, which include their jaws, teeth and feet. The average Homo Naledi is believed to have stood five feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds.
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