The Strange Case of Homo Naledi, Our Newest Extinct Relative
Monday, January 25, 2016
The Wenner-Gren Foundation
Presented By
Anthropology Section
The new hominin species, Homo naledi, was discovered in South Africa's Rising Star cave system in late 2013 and announced to the world just a few months ago. Based on over 1,500 identifiable remains, ranging from infants to the elderly, H. naledi is known from nearly every bone, and represents one of the largest and most complete discoveries in the field of paleoanthropology. The combination of anatomical features demonstrated in this assemblage suggests to us that it is both a member of the genus Homo and that it represents a new species. The geological and depositional context of the remains is also highly unusual. The Dinaledi Chamber, where the remains were discovered, is both virtually devoid of non-hominin fauna and extremely difficult to access, which are probably related. We discuss the skeletal morphology and inferred evolutionary position of H. naledi, as well as the implications of the unusual context of this discovery.
There will be a dinner at 6PM: free for students; $20 for others. Lecture will be begin at 7PM
Pre-registration is required to attend the lecture.
Speakers
William Harcourt-Smith
American Museum of Natural History
Scott Williams
New York University
Travel & Lodging
Meeting Location
The Wenner-Gren Foundation
470 Park Avenue South, between 31st and 32nd Streets
8th Floor
New York, NY 10016