Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Homo naledi is an early human relative recently discovered deep within Rising Star cave in South Africa. This find, consisting of over 1500 fossil fragments, is arguably one of the most significant fossil discoveries of the last half-century. In this lecture, Leakey Foundation grantee William Harcourt-Smith discusses what makes Homo naledi so unique, where it may fit within the human lineage, and what consequences this ground-breaking discovery may have for our current understanding of human evolution.
Homo naledi is an early human relative recently discovered deep within Rising Star cave in South Africa. This find, consisting of over 1500 fossil fragments, is arguably one of the most significant fossil discoveries of the last half-century. In this lecture, Leakey Foundation grantee William Harcourt-Smith discusses what makes Homo naledi so unique, where it may fit within the human lineage, and what consequences this ground-breaking discovery may have for our current understanding of human evolution.
