All Female Homo Naledi Skeletons Unearthed in South Africa
WHO:
Live Science - Lee Berger, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, leads the Rising Star project.
Live Science - John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a study co-author.
Live Science - Elizabeth Sawchuk, curator of human evolution at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, commented on the findings.
Live Science - Palesa Madupe, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, is the study's lead author.
Phys.org - The study was published in the journal Cell.
WHAT:
Live Science - The study analyzed 20 teeth from Homo naledi skeletons, revealing that all skeletons were female, including nearly complete skeletons named Neo and DH1, which were originally assumed to be male.
Phys.org - The study raises the possibility that the Rising Star Cave system could represent the first known example of a sex-specific burial site by a non-Homo sapiens species.
Live Science - All known Homo naledi skeletons analyzed are female.
Live Science - The study analyzed 20 teeth from Homo naledi skeletons using proteomic analysis.
Live Science - The research suggests that the Rising Star cave may represent a burial site, potentially the first known example of a sex-specific burial site by a non-Homo sapiens species.
Live Science - The team found no AMELY proteins in the H. naledi teeth, indicating all skeletons were female.
Live Science - The study challenges previous assumptions that H. naledi skeletons included both sexes.
WHERE:
Live Science - The findings are based on skeletons discovered in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind.
WHEN:
Live Science - The study was published on June 24 in the journal Cell.
Live Science - The Rising Star project began in 2013.
WHY:
Live Science - John Hawks stated, "There is no natural explanation" for the absence of male skeletons in the findings.
Live Science - The absence of male skeletons may suggest cultural selection for burial by sex and gender.
Live Science - The findings raise questions about the biological and evolutionary implications of H. naledi.
HOW:
Live Science - The study utilized proteomic analysis, a minimally destructive technique that sequences genetic material from ancient proteins, to determine the sex of the skeletons.
Live Science - Proteomic analysis was used to sequence genetic material from ancient proteins in the teeth of H. naledi.
Live Science - The analysis focused on amelogenin genes (AMEL), which vary by sex, to determine the sex of the skeletons.
(UPDATED June 25, 2026 15:57 UTC)
A recent study has revealed that all analyzed skeletons of Homo naledi, including nearly complete specimens named Neo and DH1, were female, challenging previous assumptions that they were male. This finding raises intriguing questions about the Rising Star Cave system, which may represent the first known example of a sex-specific burial site by a non-Homo sapiens species. John Hawks emphasized the significance of this discovery, stating, "There is no natural explanation" for the absence of male skeletons, with the study employing proteomic analysis to determine the sex of these ancient remains.
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(UPDATED June 25, 2026 08:09 UTC)
A new study published in the journal Cell reveals that all known Homo naledi skeletons analyzed from the Rising Star cave system in South Africa are female, challenging previous assumptions that included both sexes. The research, led by Palesa Madupe from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, utilized proteomic analysis to examine twenty teeth and found no AMELY proteins, suggesting a potential cultural selection for burial by sex. This groundbreaking finding raises intriguing questions about the biological and evolutionary implications of H. naledi, possibly marking the first known example of a sex-specific burial site by a non-Homo sapiens species.