Isihlobo Sabo Esingasekho Sangcwaba Abafileyo Baso Iminyaka Eyi-100,000 Ngaphambi Kokuba Abantu Banamuhla Benze, Izimangalo Zokufunda

Isihlobo somuntu esingasekho Homo naledi, ubuchopho babo babuyingxenye eyodwa kwezintathu ubukhulu bethu, bangcwaba abafileyo babo futhi baqoshwe izindonga zomhume eminyakeni engaba ngu-300,000 edlule, ngokocwaningo olusha oluchitha imibono osekunesikhathi eside ikhona yokuthi abantu banamuhla kuphela nabazala bethu baseNeanderthal abangenza le misebenzi eyinkimbinkimbi.

Esebenzisa izikena zamathambo, umdwebi we-paleoartist u-John Gurche uchithe cishe amahora angu-700 enza ukwakhiwa kabusha kwekhanda lika-Homo naledi. — Esebenzisa izikena zamathambo, i-paleoartist uJohn Gurche uchithe cishe amahora angama-700 enza kabusha *I-Homo naledi's* ikhanda. © Mark Thiessen, National Geographic | Ukusetshenziswa Okulungile.

Nokho, abanye ochwepheshe bathi ubufakazi abanele ukuphetha Homo naledi bangcwatshwe noma bakhumbule abafileyo babo.

Abavubukuli baqale bathola izinsalela ze Homo naledi ohlelweni lwe-Rising Star Cave yaseNingizimu Afrika ngo-2013. Kusukela lapho, kutholakale izingcezu zamathambo ezingaphezu kuka-1,500 ezivela kubantu abaningi kulo lonke uhlelo olungamakhilomitha angu-2.5 ubude (amakhilomitha amane).

I-anatomy ye- Homo naledi yaziwa kakhulu ngenxa yokulondolozwa okuphawulekayo kwezinsalela zazo; babeyizidalwa ezinezinhlangothi ezimbili ezazima cishe ngamafidi angu-5 (amamitha angu-1.5) ubude futhi zinesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-100 (amakhilogremu angu-45), futhi zinezandla ezinobuqili kanye nobuchopho obuncane kodwa obuyinkimbinkimbi, izici eziye zaholela engxoxweni mayelana nobunkimbinkimbi bokuziphatha kwazo. Ocwaningweni lwango-2017 olushicilelwe kujenali eLife, ithimba le-Rising Star liphakamise lokho Homo naledi babengcwabe abafileyo babo ngamabomu ohlelweni lomhume.

Umdwebo wezinto ezimbili zokungcwaba ezatholwa eDinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star Cave. (A) Isikhundla sokungcwaba esihlobene nokumbiwa kuka-2013-2016 kuchazwe ngendawo yesikwele. (B) Lesi yisithombe sezici ezibalulekile zokungcwaba. Isici 1 siwumzimba wesifanekiso sabadala se-Homo naledi. Isici sesi-2 sibonisa okungenani isidumbu esisodwa sengane emaphethelweni wendawo yokungcwaba. (C) kanye no (D) imifanekiso ebonisa indlela amathambo ayebekwe ngayo ngaphakathi kwamathuna. — Umdwebo wezinto ezimbili zokungcwaba ezatholwa eDinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star Cave. (A) Isikhundla sokungcwaba esihlobene nokumbiwa kuka-2013-2016 kuchazwe ngendawo yesikwele. (B) Lesi yisithombe sezici ezibalulekile zokungcwaba. Isici 1 umzimba we-a *Homo naledi* isampula yabantu abadala. Isici sesi-2 sibonisa okungenani isidumbu esisodwa sengane emaphethelweni wendawo yokungcwaba. (C) kanye no (D) imifanekiso ebonisa indlela amathambo ayebekwe ngayo ngaphakathi kwamathuna. © Izithombe ezivela ku-Berger et al., 2023 / National Geographic | Ukusetshenziswa Okulungile.

Kulo nyaka engqungqutheleni yezindaba ngoJuni 1, isazi se-paleoanthropologist U-Lee Berger, umholi wohlelo lwe-Rising Star, kanye nozakwabo abafaka isicelo ngezifundo ezintathu ezintsha, ezishicilelwe ngoMsombuluko (Juni 5) kuseva yangaphambi kokuphrinta i-bioRxiv, ehlangene iveze ubufakazi obunamandla kakhulu kuze kube manje. Homo naledi bangcwaba abafileyo babo ngamabomu futhi wadala imidwebo enengqondo edwaleni ngaphezu kwamangcwaba. Okutholakele akukakabuyekezwa ontanga.

Ucwaningo olusha luchaza imigodi emibili engashoni, emise okweqanda phansi kwegumbi lomhume elilodwa elaliqukethe izinsalela zamathambo ahambisana nokungcwatshwa kwemizimba yenyama eyayimbozwe inhlabathi yase ibola. Omunye wemingcwabo kungenzeka ukuthi wawuhlanganisa nomnikelo wethuna: kwatholakala i-artifact yetshe eyodwa isondelene nesandla nesihlakala.

UBerger uthe esithangamini nabezindaba ukuthi "sinomuzwa wokuthi bahlangabezane nokuhlolwa kwe-litmus yokungcwatshwa kwabantu noma ukungcwatshwa kwabantu bakudala." Uma kwamukelwe, izincazelo zabacwaningi zingabuyisela emuva ubufakazi bokuqala bokungcwatshwa okunenjongo ngeminyaka eyizi-100,000, irekhodi elaliphethwe Homo sapiens.

Ukungcwatshwa kwentsha kanye nethuluzi letshe elingaba khona kutholwe ngaphakathi kwe-Hill Antechamber. Izithombe A no-B ziyi-CT scans yesigaba esiphambanayo sesici esinejakhethi esakhiwe esikhishwe egumbini. I-CF iwukwakhiwa kabusha kwedijithali kwe-3D kwamathambo lapho kungcwatshwa khona, kanye netshe elimise okwethuluzi (owolintshi) eduze kwesandla sengane eneminyaka engu-13 ubudala. © Izithombe ezivela ku-Berger et al., 2023 / National Geographic | Ukusetshenziswa Okulungile.

Ukutholakala kwe- eziqoshiwe abstract ezindongeni rock yohlelo lweRising Star Cave nayo ikhombisa lokho Homo naledi wayenokuziphatha okuyinkimbinkimbi, abacwaningi basikisela kwenye i-preprint entsha. Le migqa, izimo, kanye nezibalo ezifana ne-“hashtag” kubonakala sengathi zenziwe ezindaweni ezilungiselelwe ngokukhethekile ezidalwe Homo naledi, owakhanda idwala ngaphambi kokuliqopha ngethuluzi letshe. Ukujula komugqa, ukwakheka nokuhleleka kuphakamisa ukuthi zenziwe ngenhloso kunokuba zenziwe ngokwemvelo.

"Kukhona ukungcwatshwa kwalolu hlobo ngezansi ngqo kwale mibhalo," kusho uBerger, okuphakamisa ukuthi lokhu kwakuyi- Homo naledi indawo yamasiko. "Basiguqule kakhulu lesi sikhala phakathi kwamakhilomitha ezinhlelo zemigede engaphansi komhlaba."

Imidwebo itholwe ekamelweni lokungcwaba le-Hill Antechamber, njengesimo esiphambene esibheke phansi. Kukhona futhi into esetshenziswa ngaphezulu ukuze kugqanyiswe izithombe ezingezona ezejiyomethri ekukhanyeni okuphansi, nakuba lokhu kungakahlaziywa. © National Geographic | Ukusetshenziswa Okulungile.

Kokunye okunyatheliswe ngaphambili, u-Agustín Fuentes, isazi sesayensi yezinto eziphilayo e-Princeton University, kanye nozakwabo bayahlola kungani Homo naledi wasebenzisa uhlelo lomhume. “Ukubekwa okwabelwana nokuhleliwe kwezindikimba eziningana esimisweni Senkanyezi Ephakamayo” kanye nemibhalo eqoshiwe kuwubufakazi bokuthi laba bantu babenezinkolelo noma imibono eyahlukene ngokuphathelene nokufa futhi kungenzeka babekhumbula abafileyo, “into umuntu angayibiza ngokuthi ‘usizi oluhlanganyelwe. ' kubantu banamuhla,” babhala. Nokho, abanye abacwaningi abaqiniseki ngokugcwele ngalezi zincazelo ezintsha.

“Kungenzeka ukuthi abantu benza imikhaza emadwaleni. Lokho akwanele ukufaka isandla kule ngxoxo mayelana nokucabanga okungaqondakali,” kusho u-Athreya. Kukhona nemibuzo yokuthi kanjani Homo naledi wangena ohlelweni lweRising Star Cave; umcabango wokuthi kwakunzima usekela izincazelo eziningi zabacwaningi zokuziphatha okunenjongo.

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