POE Q2

Question 2


Professor Lee Berger has made the most important archaeological discoveries in the recent history- two new species of human ancestors. (National discovery).


Ask
With help from his nine year old son's curiosity he found two million-year old fossils of an adult female and a young male which he named Australopithecus Sedibe- one of humankind's oldest ancestors.
Acquire
In 2013 guided by cavers Berger discovered ancient fossils outside Johannesburg, deep inside the Rising Star Cave in the Cradle of humanity world heritage site, he uncovered 1,550 fossil elements, representing an unprecedented is individuals in what is they believed to be a burial site. he named the species Homo Naledi.
The new species appeared to have intentionally deposited the bodies of its dead in the  remote chamber. (Wikipedia).
Analyse
Homo Naledi is an extinct species and it is is characterized by a body mass and stature similar to small-bodied human populations, a smaller volume similar to Australopithecus, and a skull shape similar to early Homo species. The skeletal anatomy presents ancestral features known from Australopithecines with more recent features associated with later species.
Apply and Assess
Two cavers were exploring the inner chamber of the rising star cave situated about 30 miles from Johannesburg. They  had found an entrance to an unexplored part of the cave known as Dinaledi Chambers.
Professor Berger decided to use social media because the entrance was down steep narrow shaft, he called social media to call expertise of amateur cavers small enough to squeeze through the 18cm fracture.
Between November 2013 and March 2014 more than 60 cavers and 50 scientists worked on locating and retrieving more than 1,550 fragments of fossil bones.
Professor Berger said that the chamber has not yet given up all its secret as they are potentially 100 or 1000 remains of Homo Naledi still down there. (www.independent.co.uk/SteveConner.