Dinaledi

Dinaledi refers to the Dinaledi Chamber, a fossil-bearing chamber within the Rising Star cave system near the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in Gauteng, South Africa. The name dinaledi means “stars” in the Sesotho language, a designation chosen for the chamber during the discovery.

In 2013, a team led by paleoanthropologist Lee Berger uncovered the chamber during extensive cave exploration. Researchers recovered roughly 1,550 fossil elements representing at least 15 individuals. Access to the chamber is extremely tight, and the bones were recovered by a group of cave divers and designated “underground astronauts” who navigated narrow passages to retrieve and document the remains.

The fossils were assigned to Homo naledi, a new species described in 2015. The skeleton exhibits a mosaic of primitive and more modern features: a small brain, with an average cranial capacity around 465 cubic centimeters, and a postcranial framework that includes humanlike limbs suitable for bipedal walking, combined with some primitive traits such as curved fingers.

Dating places the remains at roughly 236,000 to 335,000 years ago, though precise ages vary with method. The context and age of the assemblage have made the site significant for discussions about the diversity of early Homo and the timing of key evolutionary developments in Africa.

Interpretations of how the remains accumulated in the chamber remain debated. Some researchers have proposed deliberate deposition of bodies, while others suggest alternative taphonomic explanations. The Dinaledi findings have deepened interest in Homo naledi and in the complexity of hominin evolution in Africa.