Skull From Ancient Human Ancestor Unearthed

The 250,000-year-old remains of a Homo naledi were found in the remote depths of the Rising Star cave system in Johannesburg

The partial skull of a, an extinct species of hominin that lies within the Homo family tree but on a different branch to modern humans, has been discovered in South Africa. It's the first time that a child of this species has been found.

The remains were discovered around 12m beyond the Dinaledi Chamber in the Rising Star cave system - a complex 2km-long network of passageways and the original site of the discovery of the first H. naledi remains in 2015. They are thought to belong to a child aged between four and six who died almost 250,000 years ago.

“Homo naledi remains one of the most enigmatic ancient human relatives ever discovered, said Prof Lee Berger, project leader and Director of the Center for Exploration of the Deep Human Journey at Wits University, and an Explorer at Large for the National Geographic Society.