{"id":21282,"date":"2022-12-22T16:58:44","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T15:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=21282"},"modified":"2023-01-03T11:22:25","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T10:22:25","slug":"like-modern-humans-homo-naledi-harnessed-fire-for-light-warmth-and-cooking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/2022\/12\/22\/like-modern-humans-homo-naledi-harnessed-fire-for-light-warmth-and-cooking\/","title":{"rendered":"Like modern humans, homo naledi harnessed fire for light, warmth and cooking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LIKE MODERN HUMANS, HOMO NALEDI<\/em> HARNESSED FIRE FOR LIGHT, WARMTH AND COOKING <\/h2>\n\n

Researchers excavating South Africa\u2019s Rising Star cave system have unearthed evidence that Homo <\/em>naledi, <\/em>an extinct species of hominid discovered in 2013, built fires in underground chambers <\/h4>\n\n
\"\"
An artist\u2019s impression of a male Homo naledi <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

I t\u2019s often said the ability to make fire is one of the key skills that defines Homo <\/em>sapiens <\/em>\u2013 it allowed our ancestors to cook food, keep warm and eventually become the most dominant species on the planet. <\/p>\n\n

Recently, evidence has been found across Europe to suggest that Neanderthals were also skilled fire users, but now we may have to add another species to the list. Researchers excavating a complex network of caves in South Africa say they have unearthed evidence that Homo <\/em>naledi, <\/em>an extinct species of hominid that lived 200,000 to 300,000 years ago, also used fire. <\/p>\n\n

The finding was announced at a lecture given at the Carnegie Institution of Science in Washington, DC, on 1 December by Prof Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re fairly confident to formulate the hypothesis that this small-brained hominid, Homo <\/em>naledi, <\/em>[which] existed at the same time we believe Homo <\/em>sapiens <\/em>were sharing parts of Africa, was using fire for a variety of purposes,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n

H. naledi <\/em>was discovered in 2013 by a team of excavators, led by Berger. The remains were found hundreds of metres into a claustrophobically tight network of passages known as the Rising Star cave system near Johannesburg. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThere were blackened areas across the wall. There were soot particles across the whole of the surface\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Subsequent excavations have since unearthed fossils from more than a dozen individuals (male and female, juvenile and adult) as well as evidence of ritualistic burial practices in which the remains of certain individuals appear to have been washed and deliberately placed in position. <\/p>\n\n

Then, earlier this year, Berger finally entered the difficult-to-reach network of caves for the first time himself. And once he was inside the chamber where his team found the H. <\/em>naledi <\/em>remains, he noticed evidence of soot on the cave\u2019s surfaces. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cAs I looked up and stared at the roof, I began to realise that the roof was not a pure calcium carbonate. The roof above my head was grey above fresh flowstone. There were blackened areas across the wall. There were soot particles across the whole of the surface. The entire roof of the chamber where we have spent the last seven years working is burnt and blackened,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

At the same time, the expedition\u2019s co-director, Dr Keneiloe Molopyane, uncovered the remains of a small hearth containing burnt antelope bones, as well as the remains of a much larger hearth in a nearby cave. <\/p>\n\n

  • \"\"
    Prof Lee Berger with a replica Homo naledi skull <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"
    Some of the charcoal found in the Rising Star caves <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"
    A reproduction of what’s believed to be the skull of a Homo naledi child found in the Rising Star caves<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

    Further investigation of the cave system led to the team finding several other caves and passages containing chunks of burnt wood and charred animal bones. <\/p>\n\n

    \u201cFire is not hard to find. It\u2019s everywhere within this system,\u201d said Berger. \u201cEverywhere there\u2019s a complex juncture, they built fire. Every adjacent cave system to the chambers where we believe they were disposing of the dead, they built fires and cooked animals. And in the chamber where we believe they were disposing of the dead, they built fire but didn\u2019t cook animals. That\u2019s extraordinary.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

    The team now plans to work on radiocarbon dating their finds in an attempt to confirm the link between the hearths and the H. <\/em>naledi <\/em>fossils. <\/p>\n\n

    \u201cThis is the most extraordinary period of exploration and discovery. And it\u2019s going to continue,\u201d said Berger. <\/p>\n\n

    IMAGES: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY, GETTY IMAGES X2, LEE R BERGER\/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    PALAEONTOLOGY <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":21278,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"24","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"24","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_24-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_24-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"New-Year-2023","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"New-Year-2023","purple_external_id":"New-Year-2023-24-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"New-Year-2023-24-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000089662||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000089662||","purple_android_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue386","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue386","purple_ios_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue386","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.focus.magazine.issue386","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"0f422ad1-c939-476d-9f82-a410052ad4c3","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-12-22T15:59:43Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"76cfe040-2dc3-4c59-a8e8-4fdcbd4dcedc","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-01-03T10:22:31Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/Ads_gQC3DTFmo6E_cvU3O3A","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[25],"tags":[15],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/12\/3f90282d-3abb-435b-9dcd-90c6c5e9c8fd.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/12\/3f90282d-3abb-435b-9dcd-90c6c5e9c8fd.jpg",2048,1366,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/12\/3f90282d-3abb-435b-9dcd-90c6c5e9c8fd-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/12\/3f90282d-3abb-435b-9dcd-90c6c5e9c8fd-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/12\/3f90282d-3abb-435b-9dcd-90c6c5e9c8fd-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/12\/3f90282d-3abb-435b-9dcd-90c6c5e9c8fd-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/12\/3f90282d-3abb-435b-9dcd-90c6c5e9c8fd-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/12\/3f90282d-3abb-435b-9dcd-90c6c5e9c8fd.jpg",2048,1366,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"PALAEONTOLOGY","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21282"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22131,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21282\/revisions\/22131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}