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2h ago

Proteins in Teeth Suggest Female‑Only Homo naledi Burial at Rising Star Cave

The discovery could indicate symbolic burial practices by a small‑brained hominin and prompt rethinking of early social complexity.

The brain size of Homo naledi was around one-third of the size of a modern human brain.
A fossilized Homo naledi jawbone, with teeth attached, that was found during the excavations of the cave.
Most of the fossils were unearthed by a team of female researchers, including Keneiloe Molopyane pictured here.
Paleoanthropologist Lee Berger makes the awkward climb on the main thoroughfare through Rising Star Cave. The labyrinthine system stretches for more than 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) and has a vertical depth of 328 feet (100 meters).

Overview

  • A Cell paper published Wednesday reports that palaeoproteomic tests found no male‑specific amelogenin‑Y peptides in tooth enamel from 23 teeth representing 20 individuals recovered in the Dinaledi chamber.
  • The Rising Star team interprets the absence of the Y‑linked marker as evidence the sampled assemblage is biologically female and proposes the chamber served as a female‑only burial site.
  • Researchers caution an alternate biological explanation exists because amelogenin‑Y can be lost or mutated in an isolated population, which would make males undetectable by this protein test.
  • The study used a minimally destructive enamel peptide extraction method, which authors say preserves ancient proteins better than bone and allows sexing from deep time, but the sample size and method detect peptides not whole genomes.
  • The team plans to publish more contextual analyses, including proposed cave markings, to test the burial interpretation and, if confirmed, the finds would challenge ideas that large brains are required for symbolic burial practices.