Remains of new human species found

[Whateverist]

Apparently they were very nearly modern in their feet and had long legs, great for a biped. But shoulders were more ape like for climbing. Hands were probably good for tool use but some curvature for climbing as well.

[vorlon13]

I saw the thread title and immediately assumed the skeleton of the last US Biblical Literalist had been discovered tucked away in a forgotten display case in the basement of Ken Ham's museum.

[Anomalocaris]

Why did they go with homo for Naledi? Can someone give a brief explanation for the criteria? Is it the feet and pelvis? Maybe the teeth?

From amongst the earlier hominid ancestors that live from from roughly 4.5 to roughly 2 million years ago, the determination of which ought to be included in the genus homo, and what ought to be excluded, seems often more subjective than objective.

But to be correct, the morphology of feet, pelvis, and teeth ought not to be the deciding criteria for each species. Rather, a species belong in the genus homo if either one of two criteria is fulfilled:

1. a particular species is suspected to be ancester all to all other homo species, and none of that species' descendants belonged to a genus other than homo, than that species itself belongs to homo genus.

2. If a particular species is clearly descended from another species which is indisputably a member of the genus homo, than the first species belong to the homo genus as well.

But since DNA degrade and we have no easy way of determining just who is descendent from whom, we have to fall back on guesstimating using bone morphology.

[Exian]

Ah, thanks Chuck. Though, it seems bone morphology would be used to determine 1 and 2.

[Anomalocaris]

because fossils are usually incomplete, bone morphology is often suggestive rather than conclusive for determining 1 or 2.

[Divinity]

According to CNN they apparently buried their dead.

[Clueless Morgan]

Cool

[Anomalocaris]

According to CNN they apparently buried their dead.

That might suggest they had some conception of life after death. Previously no hint of such conceptual ability have been found amongst any creature with a brain smaller than that of homosapien. This creature has the brain the size of a chimp.

But, from what I read, the dead were shoved through a crack into a cave chamber. There were no word of evidence that efforts were made to make the dead comfortable. So IMHO the circumstances of these remains are not quite the equivalent of a burial with grave goods, so it is not conclusive this was a true burial that demand a conception of afterlife.

[Exian]

Could be a survival tactic to avoid attracting predators and scavengers.

[Athene]

The remains of humanoid reptilian folks. Obviously.