✓ Smithsonian MagazineScience & Systems
Why are only female Homo naledi bones found deep in South African caves?
Fossilized Homo naledi bones found deep in South African caves lack a key genetic male marker, suggesting only females were buried there.
The fossilized bones of Homo naledi, found exclusively underground in South African caves, lack a key genetic marker for males. This raises a striking possibility: these ancient hominins may have buried only their female dead in deep cave sites.
The pattern challenges assumptions about prehistoric burial practices and social structures in early human relatives. Researchers say the finding is unusual enough to demand further explanation.
Why it mattersIf Homo naledi selectively buried females, it would be the earliest known evidence of gender-differentiated burial rituals in human prehistory.
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