Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Biochemist Todd Wood on homo Naledi burials

Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

From his blog:

On Saturday, November 21, I had the privilege of hearing Zach Throckmorton of Lincoln Memorial University speak on Homo naledi at the Gray Fossil Site just outside of Johnson City, TN. Dr. Throckmorton is an expert on feet, and he was part of the research team that studied the fossils of Homo naledi after they were excavated from the Rising Star Cave.

I was quite struck by his candid discussion of the burial of these creatures. He was careful to note that they preferred the burial hypothesis because they could not find another credible explanation for why the bones would be in that remote chamber. At the same time, he admitted that these hominins not only buried their dead but also must have used fire to get that far into the cave. There is no direct evidence of fire use, but how else could they see to get the bodies into that chamber? He noted that even in modern caves where we know that people have used fire, ash and accidental scorch marks are generally absent. More.

See more re Todd Wood

Note: The homo Naledi find has been controversial. See also:

Further to homo Naledi not pubb’d in Nature

and

Homo Naledi as new species now questioned at Berkeley

See also: The Little Lady of Flores spoke from the grave. But said what, exactly?

and

Neanderthal Man: The long-lost relative turns up again, this time with documents

Follow UD News at Twitter!

Comments

Leave a Reply