Professor Lee Berger owes SA an apology

Social media has spawned billions of 15-second-attention span people who contrive all manner of stunts to attract clicks or notice from the rest of the world. But one would expect science – that least tacky of sectors – to be beyond looking for cheap thrills or publicity.

But apparently, that’s not the case… especially not if we consider the people and organisations which dreamed up – and approved – a shallow plan to launch some hominin bones into space.

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Perhaps the well-known palaeontologist behind the stunt, Professor Lee Berger, fancies himself as an Indiana Jones Lite… who knows?

But he arranged to have two South African hominin fossils – one-two million years old, the other 250 000 years old – to be taken into space by a rich passenger on one of Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic sub-orbital space flights. To what end?

Apparently, for the promotion of science and some vague idea of some radiation experiments with the bones, although the latter did not materialise in the end.

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Scientific and cultural bodies and experts were appalled by the stunt, noting that the bones have scientific value and cultural significance, and, apart from anything else, they are the remains of our ancestors as human beings and should be treated with the utmost respect.

There have been many occasions in the past and in recent times when the historical, archaeological and other treasures of countries were stolen or misused by people in richer nations.

This incident certainly leaves a taste of that, especially given that the National Geographic Society was involved.

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Questions need to be asked about whether any money changed hands and how the approvals were granted for something which was, in the view of experts, of little scientific value.

And Berger, we believe, owes SA an apology.