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SCIENCEFriday 11 September 2015
A squeeze down a narrow crack, and then an amazing discovery
LYNSEY CHUTEL South Africa Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, shakes hand whislt introduced to Steven of known hominid fossils,
Associated Press Tucker, right, by Lee Berger, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, center, at the according to the University
MAGALIESBURG, South Maropeng Cradle of Humankind in Magaliesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. of the Witwatersrand in Jo-
Africa (AP) — Jagged hannesburg. But the bones
rocks hooked into Steven Associated Press in this particular chamber
Tucker’s overalls as he had apparently remained
squeezed through a crack to fit, followed the crack it opens up into a large The 50,000-hectare undiscovered until Tucker
deep in a subterranean deeper into the earth for chamber with really stun- (123,550-acre) area of hilly entered it.
cave. Upon emerging at nearly 13 yards (12 meters). ning stalactites hanging grasslands where the two Inside what is now known
the other end, he saw he “It’s 18 centimeters (7.1 from the ceiling,” Tucker were spelunking is rec- as the Dinaledi chamber,
was in a chamber drip- inches) wide, with these said, hunching his shoul- ognized as the Cradle of Tucker’s headlamp illu-
ping with stalactites. Then jagged rocks, sticking into ders and jutting his elbows Humankind, featuring a minated pure white rock
his headlamp shone onto you from all sides. And out as he re-enacted the network of caves that has formations. Tucker and
a bone. Then more bones, suddenly at the bottom, descent. yielded nearly 40 percent Hunter, who also braved
and half of a skull. the narrow chute, were
It was the night of Sept. excited to find new caving
13, 2013, and Tucker and terrain. Then they saw the
his caving partner had just bones scattered on the
discovered the remains of chamber floor.
what scientists would later “You could see half of a
determine to be a new skull sticking out of the
member of the human floor,” Tucker said. “Of
family tree. The announce- course, at that time we
ment of the discovery had no idea what we had
was made by scientists on found. ... What interested
Thursday, with Tucker look- us at first was the fact that
ing on. these were quite large
Tucker was only trying to bones. How does some-
get out of fellow caver thing that has no lights, no
Rick Hunter’s way, inching protective equipment like
to the side, on a different we had get in here?”
intended route when he An almost complete man-
stepped into the crack dible told the cavers that
in the network of caves they had found something
known as Rising Star. He’d almost human. Their cam-
heard of the crack be- era battery had died so a
fore, but despite having week later they made their
been down this cave more way through the cave
than 20 times before, he again, and photographed
had never noticed it, nor their find. They sent the
known of any other caver photos to geologist Pedro
who had ventured down Boshoff, who alerted pale-
it. ontologist Lee Berger, who
He shone his headlamp went onto become the
down the dark crevice, lead paleontologist on the
and couldn’t see where it discovery of Homo naledi.
ended. He knew of at least It was only when the cav-
one other caver who also ers saw Berger’s excite-
stared down the crack, ment that they realized
and decided it was too just how big their discovery
dangerous. He began to was. At the press confer-
lower himself, feet-first, into ence announcing the dis-
the narrow vertical open- covery of Homo naledi, a
ing. potential new member
“It’s exciting to find some- of the human family tree,
thing new,” Tucker, now Tucker was joined by other
27, told The Associated cavers who volunteered
Press on Thursday, trying on the excavation for
to explain why he took the nearly two years. Berger
risk. called them “underground
Tucker, just wiry enough astronauts.”q
