Johannesburg - On Tuesday, two papers on human relative Homo naledi were published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
The papers focus on the hand and foot of Homo naledi, describing the structure and function of an almost complete hand and foot of an adult specimen.
Over 100 pedal bones and an almost complete right hand show modern humanlike features, but with difference that show H.naledi was uniquely adapted for both tree climbing and walking. Their hands indicate they would have been able to use tools.
Last month, lead researcher Lee Berger announced the discovery of Homo naledi in the Cradle of Humankind, where the bones of 15 individuals were found in a cave chamber called Dinaledi in the Rising Star cave system.
This was the largest hominin find ever made on the African continent. It was announced that H.naledi was a new species of human relative and that scientists believe the only way the bones could have made their way into the remote cave chamber was for the living Homo naledi to have put them there in an act of burial.
Berger was criticised by international scientists who said the announcement should have come after the bones had been dated, with some claiming naledi was a part of Homo erectus and not a new hominin.
The scientific papers published on Tuesday however, indicate that H.naledi’s feet and hands are unique from both other hominins and more primitive hominins like Lucy.
The research was conducted by a team of international scientists with the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand.
The foot of H.naledi shows that it is similar in many ways to that of modern humans, but the toes are more curved. This shows the foot is well adapted for standing and walking on two feet, the paper said.
The hand was missing only one wrist bone, a very rare find in the human fossil record.
The paper reveals that the wrist bones and thumb are very similar to modern humans and Neanderthals, but the fingers are far longer and more curved, suggesting they were used for climbing trees.
“The tool-using features of the hand and its small brain size show what cognitive requirements might be needed to make and use tools, depending on the age of these fossils,” lead author Tracey Kivell said.
The Star