The new species of human relative, Homo Naledi, may have been uniquely adapted to both tree climbing and walking as dominant forms of movement, while also being capable of precise manual manipulation.
This is an indication by the second set of research papers related to the remarkable discovery published in the scientific journal, Nature Communications, on 6 October.
The papers titled, The foot of Homo Naledi and The hand of Homo Naledi, described the structure and functions of the species’ hand and foot.
Leading author of the paper, William Harcourt-Smith, and colleagues describe Homo Naledi’sfoot based on 107 foot elements from the Denaldi Chamber, including a well preserved adult right foot.
They show that the foot shares many features with a modern human foot, indicating it is well-adapted for standing and walking on two feet.
This research was conducted by a team of international scientists associated with the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, home of the Rising Star Expedition team.
According to the researchers, when considered together, these papers indicate a decoupling of upper and lower limb function in Homo Naledi, and provide an important insight into the skeletal form and function that may have characterised early members of the Homo genus.
One of the authors, Tracey Kivell, and colleagues describe Homo Naledi’s hand based on nearly 150 hand bones from the Denaldi Chamber, which is a rare find in the human fossil record.
Its hand reveals a unique combination of anatomy that has not been found in any other fossil human before.
The wrist bones and thumb show anatomical features that are shared with Neandertals and humans and suggest powerful grasping and the ability to use stone tools.
This mix of human-like features in combination with more primitive features demonstrates that the Homo Naledi hand was both specialised for complex tool-use activities, but still used for climbing locomotion.
“The tool-using features of the Homo Naledi hand in combination with its small brain size has interesting implications for what cognitive requirements might be needed to make and use tools,” said Kivell.
Details: Wits University 011 717 6683.
Related articles:
Homo Naledi – new species of human ancestor discovered
JoburgToday.tv – 14 September 2015
LIVE FEED: Fossil discovery two years in the making
