Our incredible origins: The astonishing tale of Homo naledi

[@timhansell3421]

Dear Lee - Given the incredible journey you have been on, given the proud moment of discover by your son . . . you have also revealed the rare but special trait of few modern men . . . and that is humility. Your talk is one of enrichment and enchantment. Thank You.

[@mogenscamre3762]

Exactly! Good Comment

[@theodoredingle5061]

😮😮😮😮😮🎉🎉😂😂😂😂

[@spiralsun1]

Humility is key. The trick is to have it while speaking and listening both. 😂👍🏻🥰 And to not ever shut off that part of you which operates by love and unity. That’s the part motivated primarily by truth. Objective, selfless, truth. We are all explorers of that realm. ❤

[@zoebenda7728]

I was so upset that I had to watch this video for school until I actually watched this. This is incredible. Amazing.

[@jamesdolan4042]

Lee Berger certainly chose the right career. His lecture was very inspiring.

[@mytwocents848]

Lee Berger is not only an exceptionally nice person, but an incredible innovator. I hang on his every word and discovery that makes our ancient history so exciting. Thank you, so much, Lee! I love his book and have re-read it several times. It never gets old.

[@dodieodie498]

Do you know him personally?

[@blowfishes]

Sharing with the world when others would be overtly protective of their discovery is so refreshing. We find out in near real time things that may usually take years if not decades. This is how you get young people interested in your field of study. This is how you build and leave your legacy. Fabulous stuff 💜

[@mwj5368]

Dr Berger's excitement is infectious, stirs the imagination. I feel like he's an inspiring milestone in action, a powerful speaker, and a ground-breaking (no pun intended ha!) scientist of historic proportions.

[@je-freenorman7787]

Imagination is nor science This guys a religious freak-a-zoid

[@NewbFixer]

I thought he was rather funny, pitty the audience wasnt in a laughing mood. Must have been monday. Good show Mr Lee Berger! Thumbs!

[@lupooflunarorigin120]

Agreed. He handled the punchlines going wrong well, though

[@trishalfaro]

I’m one to listen to these kinds of things to help me fall asleep. Let’s just say that my partner is none too appreciative of my smothered giggles because I am finding him rather funny, too! Thanks for saying so - I guess I’m your kind of crazy😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@fleetwoodbeechbum]

Would we even hear the laughter if the audience isn't miked? I would think a sound engineer would go out of their way to keep the stray sounds out. Then they'd realize later they needed a laugh track but that would make it sound cheesy.

[@JeffPopplewell]

Likely a bad choice of mic.

[@timmorrison4117]

Tough crowd.

[@caseyjude5472]

I listen to this story over & over. It’s such an excellent tale, and I love how he tells the truth about success-perseverance, hard work & many hours of study produces results.

[@claudelebel49]

So much better than a TED talk. Awe-inspiring and humbling.

[@TheWildernessChannel]

I grew up in this area around the Magaliesberg, where all these sites are found. There are numerous caves and sinkholes and wonderful cliff sites in gorges like Tonquani, which are wonderful for rock-climbing. I have been fortunate enough to explore some of those caves and climb some of the climbing sites with my friends. The environment above-ground is also very beautiful with some incredible plant and animal life. There are many antelope and leopard here and many birds of prey. The Magaliesberg is the place where the Sable Antelope was first discovered and named to science. Close-by are some of the richest platinum mines in the world and the richest and deepest gold mines (up to 4km deep) ever discovered. About 60% of all the world's gold ever mined was found in these South African mines. The Sterkfontein Caves are one of many incredible sites that scientists are still exploring. There is a lot of ancient and modern history in this area. There are fossil hominids, bushmen paintings, ancient village sites and more modern historical sites. The Magaliesberg is also infamous for being the area where the AmaZulu and many Sotho tribes massacred each other in the Difecane, which led to the death of between 1.5 - 2 million people (it was a true genocide) in the late 1800's. The Boers fought the British in this area during the Anglo-Boer Wars and there was a lot of other interesting history that occurred here. Wits University, my alma mater, has done considerable research in this area, particularly but not exclusively, done by the palaeontology department. This was a wonderful lecture and I hope that people understand that South Africans are more than just the Apartheid history we get labelled with. There were many great discoveries, inventions and scientific studies done by South Africans, and much of the history of the world is attributable to what occurred on our shores. During the battle of Spioenkop in the Anglo-Boer war, Gandhi (a stretcher bearer at the time), Winston Churchill (a young British officer) and Generla Louis Botha (the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa) were present and all went on to make considerable contributions to the history of the world. For the record the Boers won that Battle.

[@LizLondonWWA]

Thank you. I ❤this additional information about the area. So rich. Hopefully it hasn’t been terribly exploited.

[@alexandrag337]

Brilliant!!! Besides the fascinating lecture and engaging story, the closing speech are words to live by. I am inspired.

[@gypsycruiser]

I lived close to these areas and never went near those caves ...these researchers are brave

[@mj-jo8es]

Exploration is never dead! I love his message and his determination to not destroy while exploring.

[@SolaceEasy]

On Lee's closing comment: I climbed my 411th mountain with prominence yesterday, 13006' Pennsylvania Mountain. I saw an alpine flower I've never seen before, and I have been exploring tundra at least once a week for the last month.

[@leapingkitties]

Dr. Berger is the most inspirational scientist I have ever heard. Wow. I can't wait to see the new work.

[@johnharris7353]

A great man, imo, and a great scientist , speaker, professor, and leader.

[@Theshizlenizle]

Incredible talk 👏 I would have loved joining that adventure

[@8698gil]

I remember first learning about australopithecus, homo habilus, and homo erectus when I was in 7th grade social studies class. It absolutely fascinated me then, and still does, almost 50 years later.

[@albertzhou1653]

Actually Spiffing talk. I was told to watch by Bio teacher and found it extremely interesting. 5/5 would recommend it. Five stars review.

[@eomle560]

Would have to agree with you there Albert Zhou. 5/5 is certainly not enough for this absolutely splendid and riveting talk. would rate 10/5. Planning on showing my family later!

[@albertzhou1653]

@@eomle560 Would have to doubly agree with you there eomle. 10/5 is certainly not enough for this absolutely spiffing and spoffing talk. Would rate 15/5. Planning on showing it to my extended family later.

[@eomle560]

@@albertzhou1653 Would have to triply agree with you there Albert Zhou. 10/5 is certainly not enough for this absolutely captivating and enthralling talk. Would rate 20/5. Planning on showing it to my family as well as my friends and my dog later!

[@albertzhou1653]

@@eomle560 Would have to quadruply agree with you there eomle. 15/5 is certainly not enough for this absolutely captivating and enthralling and spiffing and spoffing and spuffing talk. Would rate 25/5. Planning on showing it to my family as well as my friends and my dog later and my neighbours family also!!!!

[@anon8935]

@@albertzhou1653 i too would have to agree. This is easily a 69/5.

[@sarahferguson0]

Absolutely amazing. I'm truly humbled by these things. I'm not sure i completely understand our family tree but i'm learning. Wonderful lecture.

[@JoyceSigns]

Thank goodness for the bravery, skill, fortitude, and tenacity of "amateurs" Steve Tucker and Pedro, and for their bringing their discovery to Lee Berger! 🏆 WELL DONE!!

[@dazgreen63]

What a great lecture. Simply enthralled right to the end

[@renupathak4442]

Astounding, captivating and listening to him was like seeing a movie. I wish I was part of this historic find. God bless you. The motivational speech in the end is so beautiful

[@aloha1286]

I read his book and he is an amazing story teller and a scientist.

[@barbaralouisebenjamin5918]

It is good to know that we do not know it all, that a question is held over everything, and answers are not assumed, and our arrogance dies not get in the way of discovery.

[@brice5542]

Amazing, seems to inspire more questions than answers, in a good way. Bravo to the courage of the young explorers.

[@thomasabrahams7984]

Enjoyed this immensely, well done Dr Berger and team! 👏👏👏

[@robertbeerbohm1800]

I have also long been fascinated with early evolution of humans. So many new things to learn!

[@mystrength5640]

Prof Lee., You are an incredible man of Worth! Thank you for all your credibility and energy to bring all this to Fruition! Jenny from Johannesburg. South Africa 🦒🐘🦛🦓🇿🇦

[@trisld]

Those years you thought were just passing by....were preparing you for just this eventuality. That is one of the important lessons. People need to know that too.

[@colinp2238]

Amazing story, great inspirational speech and a good lesson to us all.

[@clintonstahlman4618]

Outstanding! I am 71 but I am going on a diet. One never knows when an opportunity will present itself!

[@americalost5100]

Would love the names of those first young caver-scientists who descended through and into those claustrophobic spaces in order to do such marvelous science.

[@Sweetlyfe]

There is the National geographic documentary that was the original dig.

[@adrianreeves5583]

The video of the dig that he is describing is here on youtube.

[@JavierBonillaC]

This is one of the most exciting talks I’ve ever seen. I was glued to the screen. That is living as life is meant to be lived!

[@nicwalton000]

The audience is absolutely humorless. Interesting speech, interlaced with enough humor to keep me engaged.

[@bobtheblindbedroomguitaris8742]

Thank you so much for this video what a great man what a great story and a great inspiration for kids and adults alike I've been on a find your hominid ancest the quest on KZbin for a week now so yeah this was a gym thank you again sincerely yours,

[@charlesjmouse]

An amazing story and even more amazing discovery, I wish I had been part of it. Speaking as an interested amateur this species brings up so many questions: -It's without doubt an ancient lineage but has lasted until comparatively recently while "more modern" hominids were coming and going They must have been doing something "right" to stick around so long in the face of what we would usually consider "more modern" competition. Assuming it's not an artifact of taphonomy how did an "isolated" population last so long? -Even I can see there's an extraordinary mosaic of "modern" and "ancient traits" Are they the "end point" of the "trunk" many lineages we know branched from or are they an example of a "alternate trajectory"? What does their mosaic of traits say about "our" development... either directly if close relatives or indirectly if an "alternate line"? -They have "tiny" brains that seem to be very well developed given the endocast evidence What are such creatures doing seemingly "burying their dead" for an extended period of time? Is a really big brain not needed for "higher" cognition? They certainly weren't dwaves. Does this mean "our" route to "higher cognition" was achieved by brute force while they achieved it by efficiency? -H. Floresiensis begs fewer questions Pretty much everything about it's unusual anatomy can be hand-waved by invoking "island dwarfism" in an Erectus-grade ancestor. For myself I don't have a problem with the idea of ancient hominids rafting, indeed I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the more peculiar specimens in Dmanisi and Asia turned out to be descendants of some Australopith that left Africa... wild speculation, I know! ...just a small selection of questions off the top of my head.

[@Agapismene]

Ever since they discovered a man operating 'normally' with very little brain matter, I have suspected it is consciousness not brain that informs ones apparatus.

[@AndrewJohnClive]

What a truly inspiring man! If this is the direction my son is going, I’m sending him to Wits!❤️

[@Tonyklco]

Applauded alone at the conclusion... well done !!

[@dwhit247]

An inspirational speaker and educator.

[@caseyjude5472]

I want to know what is in the breccia! What is it?!?! Is it an older Naledi? I’m so excited!

[@johnrockwell5834]

Wonder if the mythical legends of elves and dwarves are based on those hominid people's?

[@thomaswilliamjohnson3022]

Adam was a giant everybody else lol dwarfs lol jk crazy theory’s who knows

[@sailorgunsveteran5260]

this is actually a very interesting hypothesis, since almost every human group has myths and legends that indicate both hostile and benevolent others that are "almost" human. examples like goblins and kobolds, elves and gnomes, orcs and gnolls, all have magical mythical properties and have been in our collective consciousness but as in any myth there may have been a grain of truth that seeded it just without all the fantasy.

[@dshe8637]

I think the myths come from times people discovered fossils, just like dragons became a thing when dinosaur fossils were found

[@tuff-duty]

I have nothing to say. everything about this series of discoveries is personal ( “Dad, I found a fossil”), and timely ( google maps, facebook, unpaid girl scientists, university motorcycles, etc…) The expanding circle of lessons radiating out from these discoveries can be credited to one man- Dr Lee Berger. it’s only the beginning.

[@ZappninLLP]

Congratulations to this great team!

[@lesleyhahn8682]

Awesome speaker! I look forward to seeing more of your exploits. oh how I wish I had gone with my early love of archeology and ancient history and anthropology.

[@BrianBattles]

These discoveries would never happen if it was up to me....never going into a cave like that!

[@BrianBattles]

@rent a shill I know, those people are crazy! 😄

[@MrSir-rq8qt]

Africa is the cradle of life so just understanding that narrows the search down to one continent, still a huge region to be able to find fossils of other humanoid species. So Good job, we need to know the whole history of everything that walked on this plane of existence and nothing less then that. I applaud all who delve into this adventurous field wether successful or not, every bit helps no matter.

[@mehboobkhan.4351]

Mr. Lee beeger is a great person, his contribution is no doubt too much,

[@beaulah_califa9867]

He doesn't mention the two or three hour doc PBS & NatGeo produced together, titled. "The Dawn of Humanity". It's excellent & thorough. His FOUR-talks on Sediba, produced AFTER THE DISCOVERY by NatGeo, are also FANTASTIC. Prof John Hawks, his co-collaborator on both finds, is even more engaging & very funny. He has dozens of talks and lectures on PBS, KZbin, and at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prof Hawks gets around the globe more and is in BBC doc productions. He has a very active blog. His KZbin channel is more of an instruction on the characteristics of skulls found over the last 100-years. Sorry to go on but Prof. Hawks is known an expert on Neandertals and population genetics.

[@factchecker9358]

Was Homo Naledi an outcast or marginalized subspecies with larger brain hominids in the better lowlands and choice areas?

[@lisasternenkind6467]

How wonderful, that exactly those people found and are exploring this site, who are sharing their knowledge about their findings with the world. Also, remaining open for the unknown, and thinking outside the box for further discoveries, that might change everything and proove the established science wrong, is what real scientists do. Too bad most science fields nowadays have turned away from new discoveries, and are solely working on clearing their field from evidence that might tackle the established teachings. I am convinced that modern humans have evolved from several different human species and that there actually are several differring histories, which finally resulted in what we now name human races.

[@markmiller8903]

I would like to know if any fossils were found in the other caves.

[@paulroundy7220]

What the heck were ancient hominids doing in such a difficult cavern to reach? How did they get there?

[@kirstenspencer3630]

Stunning discovery. I am near tears.

[@harveytheparaglidingchaser7039]

Astonishing, captivating what a great story

[@marc-andrebrunet5386]

Exactly the kind of human story I loved ! Wow, bravo 🤘👨‍🏫👍

[@stevefisher2553]

INCREDIBLE STORY! Saw the finds live at the Perot museum in Dallas.

[@sarahlight956]

Not Coming!🤣🤣🤣

[@user-tz5pv6ih7m]

These same discoveries may well be found in different places of the planet. Thank you for sharing these videos and your experience throughout.

[@peterz53]

Thanks for an excellent talk

[@Traderjoe]

How did they maneuver through these cave systems to find that chamber without artificial light to show them where these small openings were?

[@ArnieD17]

Reading some of the comments remind me of reading comprehension tests where the questions were laid out in excruciating detail and yet people often had an incredibly hard time coming up with the correct answers.

[@themyceliumnetwork]

the greatest story in the history of modern times

[@oscresson]

Berger is anthropology's Fosbury. We all benefit from such original people. All hale!!

[@captainjj7184]

Incredible, addictive and an amazing presentation. Wondering if bones are clean or do they have post-mortem tool marks though.

[@wolfganggugelweith8760]

What’s about Sasquatch there?

[@aspe12]

Hats of to your resilience...you were a leaky boat in a stormy sea....but your faith in yourself carried you through.

[@davidwelshcreative]

Has the topography of the cave changed over time? Might it have been more accessible at the time the hominids were alive.

[@mikeblast7507]

What? You think it could have changed in 2 or 3 hundred thousand years? Of course it could have! What DIDN'T happen was primates barely down from the trees with brains the size of a chimp's and no control of fire intentionally dragging their dead through a series of narrow tunnels in the dark. It is utterly ludicrous to suggest otherwise. The fact that these "scientists" almost immediately stoop to anthromorphizing these little guys (who, living in trees, undoubtedly would have been terrified of close, dark spaces and wouldn't have even thought to enter them) is poor science. That should be LAST on their list of explanations, and in fact should never have been seriously considered. There is a far simpler explanation (such as another, more accessible opening, now long gone), but good luck finding it with these guys, who seemed to have stopped looking for it.

[@sharkamov]

*Without a doubt one of the most **_fascinating_** lectures regarding the evolution of our species lineage, told by the man who made possible the discovery of Homo Naledi, Professor Lee Berger!* (And yet, there are individuals around us that thinks our planet is merely _Seven Thousand Years old_ . . . . 🙄)

[@Numidiary]

This is an absolutely fucking awesome presentation. Has there been any study done to test genomic remnants of H. naledi in native SA people, as H. neanderthalensis has been shown as a genomic contributor to modern Europeans?

[@caviramus0993]

Homo naledi most likely died off before moder Homo sapiens has shown up. The second thing is that hybrids would be pretty problematic since Neanderthals are way more closely related to us than Homo naledi. In fact all people on the globe(excludin sub-saharan populations) have some Neanderthal DNA in then, first colonisation of Europe failed, there was interbreeding and the second conquest succeeded.

[@seanbeadles7421]

There is no H. Naledi DNA to check. We had Neanderthal DNA as they were much more recent and in a very cold environment, perfect for DNA preservation. If it’s too hot, the DNA degrades very quickly.

[@Numidiary]

@@seanbeadles7421 though, by process of elimination, we could seek out anomalies that are present among native people there that are seen less and less, or not at all, in northern people

[@seanbeadles7421]

@@Numidiary that has been done actually. There are a few, what are called “ghost” populations, in the human genome. These are dna signatures in the modern day that aren’t traced/connected to any known fossil homonin. There’s one in west Africa that had an article out last year, and there are probably a good dozen+ if I were to guess. In Southern Africa, interestingly, the San people likely had a period of over like 100k years of reproductive isolation from other Homo sapiens before admixing again only about 2,000 years ago. There is also the Denisovans in Melanesia, but from what I remember there are a few more ghost lineages present in modern Melanesians.

[@Numidiary]

@@seanbeadles7421 hell of an interesting topic

[@80slimshadys]

What I want to know is how did they see all the way in that cave all those years ago?

[@mikeblast7507]

Great question. They had brains the size of a softball, were barely down from the trees, and didn't have fire. How could they crawl into the caves drawing their dead behind them with no light and no idea where they were going? Clearly they DIDN'T. Archaeologists make their bones by positing controversial theories, which helps other archaeologists make their bones by challenging their conclusions and positing their own theories (none of which require actual proof), the very definition of the self-licking ice cream cone. Obviously, they got into the cave another way, possibly by falling in a hole they didn't see, or being thrown into it. The fact that there isn't a hole anymore doesn't mean there wasn't one at one time, those little guys have been laying down there a long time. (While they guess they were down there 200k, that's little more than a guess at this point, they could have been there a lot longer.) Archaeologists are great at finding stuff, what they're less great at is interpreting it. Look at how DNA has changed our understanding of our relationship with Neanderthals, HS migration patterns, the list goes on. Without DNA these guys are essentially guessing, as evidenced by the way their theories have morphed over the years.

[@80slimshadys]

@@mikeblast7507 Yea I heard that they must of dropped them down a hole. It's the only likely way.

[@kaym7704]

Amazing discovery.

[@tranjavanadbia123]

I find hard to believe that Homo Naledi went into the caves without some kind of light source.

[@ruthcasteel5311]

I remember the news story told of the call to recruit the caver sciencist for this cave . The fact they were skinny women just thrilled me...congrats to you & your family for the find...

[@DarwinianUniversal]

Here's a theory. Maybe this creature was nocturnal and spent the daytime hours hiding in the cave. With its ability for climbing, coupled with an ability to navigate in low light environments it was able to explore and navigate the depths of the cave. In summary, a creature spending a great deal of time in the cave, add to that climbing ability and being comfortable in dark environments due to their nocturnal nature. Suddenly finding individuals down there doesn't seem so unlikely. Add to this predentary pressure from cats or other humanoids that can pursue Naledi into the cave system. Then the remote depths of the cave become a natural refuge where predators couldn't or wouldn't follow. I'm not saying I believe this, but if outside-the-box thinking is invited, then give this some consideration?

[@Foxtrottangoabc]

yes I dont know the precise details . But seems a lot of effort to carry a dead man's weight into these caves without ropes etc. Lookin at tge landscape , with sapiens, and man eating beasts this cave looks a great place to hide . Maybe a dwelling or somewhere these hominids went when being chased knowing no one could follow them . Ofcourse run the risk of not being able to get back out if you have no light. Your theory a good one to have better eyesight. I believe they may have found evidence of fire burning inside cave

[@volfan911]

Around 37:00 what are the dots in the middle of the hands of the background drawings of Homo erectus and naledi?

[@jrileycain6220]

I'm curious as to how and why the skeletons got so far into these caves. Was this how early hominids disposed of their dead? Were caves ossuaries, grave yards? I saw a video of the Hazda tribe in Africa. When asked what they think happens after someone dies they said when someone dies they put them in a cave and they go back to the sun.

[@marthahines1979]

Fascinating lecture. Love the comments too, Thank you.

[@stvbrsn]

Amazing. This is amazing on so many levels.

[@frankedgar6694]

The Perot Museum in Dallas hosted a presentation of some of these fossils. I had the opportunity to go see them. That was pre-covid. Now I get to watch this lecture. Life is good.

[@masonkaloony7180]

If anybody here would do a little research, you would quickly understand that he and his team got way to emotionally entagled with their findings and made alot of mistakes and misinterpretations with these discoveries

[@factchecker9358]

How is everyone from the event doing today? Any updates?

[@zazadem7729]

Quelle aventure extraordinaire !

[@Nancy-V]

This was what I wanted to do growing up, but life took me into a different direction. I find this so amazing. I hope new DNA techniques will reveal even more.

[@claudelebel49]

Hard to believe that they could have carried the bodies to such a depth given the complexity. Even today, with lamps and all of our specialized equipment it is no piece of cake. Maybe at the time, the connecting tunnels were somewhat wider and easier to negotiate?

[@sandramorey2529]

Please thank that son of yours for finding that rock that revealed the skull of Naledi. And you for training him.

[@martiusmesquita]

Inspiring!

[@CharlesPayet]

Coming to this 4 years later, it’s really sad to see how badly Berger and his team botched their papers and research. They rushed to publish, and since then, virtually every one of their claims has been demonstrated to be badly flawed and unsubstantiated.

[@Yuyup7334]

Apart from all intriguing questions about which we have not got the answers yet, I'd parallel this as 'the Dead Sea Scrolls' findings in the field of paleoantropology, and that's hillarious.

[@kkdesignservices183]

This is all so mysterious. Some questions. 1) was the cave topography different back then, and these chambers were more accessible to the hominids? 2) if the topography has not changed, how is it that the hominids were able to climb so far down, which for us with ropes and lines and equipment is so difficult? 3) how could they have done this in pitch blackness? and why?

[@henryseldon6077]

Fascinating story!

[@jakemoeller7850]

We inhabit a fascinatingly beautiful planet that would produce such life!

[@adeshwodan4679]

So how did they get there ?

[@adeshwodan4679]

@Kraig StClair 😂

[@twist7799]

Is it possible that they harnessed fire and therefore had torches to explore the cave?

[@elimalinsky7069]

Most likely they just threw their dead into the cave.

[@cathybaggott2873]

@@elimalinsky7069 It took 45 minutes to get to this narrow spot in a heavily explored cave system. No they didn't just throw their dead in. It would have taken a huge effort and some kind of light source to put their dead where no animal ever disturbed them.

[@elimalinsky7069]

@@cathybaggott2873 The remains were washed down by waterflows. They didn't actually go all the way down to deposit their dead. They left them not far from the cave entrance and wateflows/mudflows did the rest.

[@julianfowler1608]

Awesome. Not 1 um or err just the pure facts. Magical presentation thank you.

[@DivyenduKashyap]

His son was 6'4" at 15?

[@redriver6541]

An absolutely amazing lecture Dr. Thank you for sharing this. How in the.....did those "people" get into that cave.....and why? Such a wonderful mystery.

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

Why put people in quotation marks? They're either people or they're not.

[@earlgibbs7083]

This guy is obviously focused on self-aggrandizement first and foremost, but what he'd researched and dicovered is a great contribution to finding out about our origins.

[@trevortaylor9002]

BEYOND BELIEF, AWESOME...

[@markwhite6001]

How did they see, in the cave , did they make fire,

[@tranjavanadbia123]

Is there any sunlight in the caves ?