Back in June of this year, a team of researchers made sensational claims about a small-brained ancient hominid known as Homo naledi. The alleged discovery by the research team led by Professor Lee Berger of the University of Witwatersrand excited the scientific community to no end.&nbsp;

The findings, if proven accurate, could overturn much of what we know about human evolution. However, a recent paper has ridiculed the "discovery".&nbsp;

<h2>What the team claimed to have discovered</h2>

Dr Berger and his team claimed to have found evidence that the long-extinct species buried its dead and decorated their graves with abstract markings.

Given that the species had a brain no larger than a chimpanzee's, this finding at the time suggested intelligence similar to modern humans.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/not-homo-sapiens-but-this-extinct-human-species-buried-their-dead-first-601963">Not homo sapiens but this extinct human species buried their dead first</a>

This could be the oldest evidence of burials by the human species. The discovery as reported by the team was made in South Africa's Rising Star Cave System.

<h2>New research rebuts Berger's findings</h2>

A new study has pooh-poohed the Homo naledi-mania and suggests that the small-brained human ancestors may have nothing to do with the burials or marking of graves.

The research which has been published in the Journal of Human Evolution suggests that instead of it being chalked up to a deliberate disposal of the dead, some natural processes may explain the findings better.

Researchers from Spain and Australia suggest that things like a natural death trap or the bones being transported inside the narrow cave via flowing or flood waters may be a better explanation. According to them, an ancient member of the species may also have carried the remains into the cave or they could be there because of carnivore activity.

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To back their hypothesis, they cite geological, taphonomic and paleontological evidence.

They also say that the caves where the bones of more than 15 Homo naledi individuals representing all age groups were found were too unreachable. This meant that other researchers could not enter the caves and verify Berger's findings.

It also pours cold water on the alleged centuries-old engravings and says that Berger's teams have used any scientific methods to date them. They conclude that the Rising Star team has built a "persuasive discourse" which is "misleading" and that "they do not test their hypothesis but selectively report the evidence that supports their preferred scenario."

(With inputs from agencies)

Back in June of this year, a team of researchers made sensational claims about a small-brained ancient hominid known as Homo naledi. The alleged discovery by the research team led by Professor Lee Berger of the University of Witwatersrand excited the scientific community to no end.

Back in June of this year, a team of researchers made sensational claims about a small-brained ancient hominid known as Homo naledi. The alleged discovery by the research team led by Professor Lee Berger of the University of Witwatersrand excited the scientific community to no end. The findings, if proven accurate, could overturn much of what we know about human evolution. However, a recent paper has ridiculed the "discovery". What the team claimed to have discovered Dr Berger and his team claimed to have found evidence that the long-extinct species buried its dead and decorated their graves with abstract markings. Given that the species had a brain no larger than a chimpanzee's, this finding at the time suggested intelligence similar to modern humans. Also read | Not homo sapiens but this extinct human species buried their dead first This could be the oldest evidence of burials by the human species. The discovery as reported by the team was made in South Africa's Rising Star Cave System. New research rebuts Berger's findings A new study has pooh-poohed the Homo naledi-mania and suggests that the small-brained human ancestors may have nothing to do with the burials or marking of graves. The research which has been published in the Journal of Human Evolution suggests that instead of it being chalked up to a deliberate disposal of the dead, some natural processes may explain the findings better. Researchers from Spain and Australia suggest that things like a natural death trap or the bones being transported inside the narrow cave via flowing or flood waters may be a better explanation. According to them, an ancient member of the species may also have carried the remains into the cave or they could be there because of carnivore activity. Also read | Trouble in space: Soaring costs of NASA's Mars Sample Return Mission risk other significant projects To back their hypothesis, they cite geological, taphonomic and paleontological evidence. They also say that the caves where the bones of more than 15 Homo naledi individuals representing all age groups were found were too unreachable. This meant that other researchers could not enter the caves and verify Berger's findings. It also pours cold water on the alleged centuries-old engravings and says that Berger's teams have used any scientific methods to date them. They conclude that the Rising Star team has built a "persuasive discourse" which is "misleading" and that "they do not test their hypothesis but selectively report the evidence that supports their preferred scenario." (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists pooh-pooh claims that extinct ancient hominid 'Homo naledi' buried its dead

The world's oldest known burial site has been found in South Africa, containing remains of a small-brained distant relative of humans previously thought incapable of complex behaviour.

The world's oldest known burial site has been found in South Africa, containing remains of a small-brained distant relative of humans previously thought incapable of complex behaviour. According to a report by the news agency AFP on Tuesday (June 6), a team of Palaeontologists led by Lee Berger said they discovered several specimens of Homo naledi- a tree-climbing, Stone Age hominid -- buried about 30 metres (100 feet) underground in a cave system within the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO world heritage site near Johannesburg. In a series of preprint papers to be published in eLife, the researchers said, "These are the most ancient interments yet recorded in the hominin record, earlier than evidence of Homo sapiens interments by at least 100,000 years." The findings challenge the current understanding of human evolution. The oldest burials previously unearthed, found in the Middle East and Africa, contained the remains of Homo sapiens -- and were around 100,000 years old. And those found in South Africa, date back to at least 200,000 BC. What is Homo naledi? Homo naledi is a primitive species at the crossroads between apes and modern humans, which had brains about the size of oranges and stood about five feet tall. AFP reported the species had curved fingers and toes, and tool-wielding hands and feet made for walking. The species is named after the "Rising Star" cave system where the first bones were found in 2013. Engravings forming geometrical shapes, including a "rough hashtag figure", were also found on the purposely smoothed surfaces of a cave pillar nearby. Speaking to AFP, Lee Berger said "That would mean not only are humans not unique in the development of symbolic practices, but may not have even invented such behaviours." Such a statement is likely to ruffle some feathers in the world of palaeontology, where Berger has previously faced accusations of lacking scientific rigour and rushing to conclusions. In 2015, Berger first suggested the idea that Homo naledi was capable of more than the size of its head suggested. "That was too much for scientists to take at that time. We think it's all tied up with this big brain," he said. "We're about to tell the world that's not true." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Palaeontologists find world's oldest-known burial site in South Africa

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Scientists pooh-pooh claims that extinct ancient hominid 'Homo naledi' buried its dead

Palaeontologists find world's oldest-known burial site in South Africa