Texas A&M professor among discoverers of new species of human relative
Texas A&M University professor Darryl de Ruiter was among an international group of scientists who announced Thursday morning they have discovered a new species of human relative in South Africa.
Remains of the new species -- named Homo naledi -- were discovered in September 2013 in a chamber of the Rising Star cave system about 30 miles northwest of Johannesburg.
Since then, the scientists have painstakingly uncovered more than 15 individual Homo naledi remains in just the "small area" they have been able to excavate, said de Ruiter, who is one of five project directors.
"That is literally just scratching the surface to find that many," de Ruiter said.
Read more: http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/texas-a-m-professor-among-discoverers-of-new-species-of/article_9fd019a1-6ea7-5a17-9c7a-88fb4a8a0db4.html
Cross-posted in the Texas Group.