A Tulane professor was part of an international team that discovered and documented a new species of human ancestors found in South Africa. It’s the largest find of human-related fossils ever made in Africa.
Tulane anthropology professor Trenton Holliday says the find of 1,500 fossils of at least 15 individuals is remarkable.
“They teach us a lot about human evolution. They teach us that in many cases what we thought we know may not in fact be the case," he said. "They teach us to be a bit humble about what we know and what we think we know because in many cases they surprise us.”
For one thing, human fossils are usually found in bits — these form full skeletons. For another, it appears to have been a ritual burial site deep inside the Rising Star cave.
Holiday managed teams assembling the fossils. He says the bone structure shows these early humans were adept at climbing trees, and could use tools.
“They’re about 4-foot-10 and about a hundred pounds, and they look kind of tall and skinny and their lower limbs are very long," he said. "So it must have been interesting to see them. It would be neat to see them all fleshed out, not just the head like the National Geographic but to see their whole bodies would be interesting.”
Details about the discovery are in the main story in the October issue of National Geographic, with the artist rendering of the head on the cover.
