Homo naledi

American  

[hoh-moh nah-led-ee] / ˈhoʊ moʊ nɑˈlɛd i /

noun

1. an extinct species of hominin classified within the genus Homo but on a branch other than that of modern humans: the first fossil specimens, originally assessed at about two million years of age, were discovered northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2013, but a more recent dating of 235,000–335,000 years places them in a time when more modern, larger-brained hominins were already living.

2. a fossil belonging to this species.

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Etymology

Origin of Homo naledi

First recorded in 2010–15; from New Latin; Homo ( def. ) + Sotho naledi “star,” from the name Dinaledi (Chamber), “(chamber) of stars” in the Rising Star cave system where the fossils were found

Example Sentences

South African paleoanthropologist and National Geographic explorer Lee Berger described finding soot-covered walls, fragments of charcoal, burned antelope bones and rocks arranged as hearths in the Rising Star cave system, where nine years earlier the team uncovered the bones of a new member of the human family, Homo naledi.

From Washington Post

From the well-known Neanderthals and more enigmatic Denisovans in Eurasia, to the diminutive "hobbit" Homo floresiensis on the island of Flores in Indonesia, to Homo naledi that lived in South Africa, multiple hominins abounded.

From Salon

The team announced the discovery of a partial skull and teeth of a Homo naledi child who died almost 250,000 years ago when it was approximately four to six years old.

From Seattle Times

Homo naledi dates to the Middle Pleistocene era 335,000–236,000 years ago.

From Seattle Times

“Homo naledi remains one of the most enigmatic ancient human relatives ever discovered,” said Berger.

From Seattle Times