'That just died': Paleoanthropologist debunks myth about humans

[@greengabe5]

Let’s not forget, crows literally have funerals for their dead. What this man is saying is *NOT* crazy.

[@c1h2r3i4s56987]

there is defiantly something deep inside that makes us want to bury our loved ones, I had a one arm Rat that ended his life paralyzed from the waist down, only had rats to breed to feed my snakes, but a few pet rats he was one of them OC, but I could have fed him to a snake, but after I buryied him, I realized There is something deep seeded in our brains that's makes it therapeutic to bury the dead yo care for. I think our linage have been doing it longer than we will ever find the evidence for it

[@CIBERXGAMING]

it's crazy for a different reason

[@GothAtheist]

​@@c1h2r3i4s56987 um... not really. Burial is sickening.

[@FantasticOtto]

It's crazy for using that as an argument for homo sapiens not being alone in the massive evolutionary step of abstract thinking. To follow his logic, because crows have funerals, they're also capable of developing space programs. And maybe they are, I don't know. They're pretty sneaky.

[@Awakeningspirit20]

CROW-magnons

[@themyceliumnetwork]

Dr. Lee Berger is a superpaleoanthropologist, I've been following this for a decade & each new discovery blows my mind!

[@Soft-Shell]

How do you pronounce that?

[@themyceliumnetwork]

@@Soft-Shell super + paleoanthropologist

[@askapk]

Super paleo anthro po lo gist

[@erikswanson5753]

It kind of surprises me (although it shouldn't) that a news presenter, or whatever she is, doesn't know how to pronounce "paleoanthropologist" and is obviously completely unfamiliar with the term. Maybe she'd better go back to reporting on celebrities.

[@robothunter1035]

All of these paleoanthropologists are wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! This species is NOT extinct, and I am living proof of that! I don't know where they got that picture of my dad . . . and don't get me started on "a brain the size of ours." Crap. I forgot where I was going with that, but you get my point.

[@Andreas-gh6is]

It means they had language, or were extremely close. For burial rituals you'd need sophisticated communication, otherwise the group wouldn't be able to agree on the "funeral arrangements" nor why they are even supposed to do it. Symbols also point to language. And using fire in some form to have enough light in that cave...

[@AS-vq3wt]

It means they believe in an afterlife. I've said this since I was a teenager. Humans, ALL humans, including our ancestors had 2 basic beliefs; 1) a belief in an after life (God) 2) a belief in the right and responsibility to be armed with weapons. Anyone who is an atheist or against the 2nd amendment is in fact behaving contrary to the human condition. PERIOD! FULL STOP!!!! You cannot and will not change the basic human condition. If you do, you are technically not a human being. It's irrefutable.

[@FantasticOtto]

@@AS-vq3wt What's irrefutable is your total confusion of basic evolutionary biology and history, not to mention theology.

[@joerogain5025]

Do you think Donald tRUMP is related to an orangutan?

[@AS-vq3wt]

@@FantasticOtto wtf are you even talking about? You can't debate me!!

[@Andreas-gh6is]

@@AS-vq3wt Sometimes hard to tell with Americans whether that is sarcasm or what they truly believe!

[@adammitchell3462]

From my experience growing up in Appalachia, we've no shortage of cave systems and I know for a fact that going into caves can be extremely dangerous, especially caves that humans don't frequently travel,they can be particularly dangerous

[@chrismathis4162]

Yes, I went to college in Boone, NC. Two friends and I thought it would be cool to go caving. Some spots we had to crawl through passages on our stomach. We stupidly brought just one flashlight. Later I was thinking, if that flashlight had failed we never would have gotten out and died in that cave.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

We dont all have the same size brain, the smallest women on earth right now only stands at the height of My knees, and My head is over the size of her head. The women is a fully functional human, walk talk, smoke, literally her ability to behave human has nothing to do with how big her or her brain is vs My own.

[@michaelsotomayor5001]

Are we saying our ancestors didn’t know what they were doing? Because it is the reason why they couldn’t have civilizations, they are learning all of this.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

@@michaelsotomayor5001 God created humans and We we had high intelligence from the start and went backwards from there. We could cut and move stone to build structures like the great Pyramids but today people dont understand how that was possible. The story that Humans evolved from monkeys is lies and part of the agenda to keep you stupid and under control like the sheep you are.

[@labananaramarama5502]

"We are not exceptional" AMEN!

[@baarni]

Absolutely! When you have an animal family member you realise they have the same emotional range as we do…

[@filthyrando3632]

Absolutely.

[@Jolene8]

Just about.

[@xxJP805xx]

You're an animal because I'm not.

[@jaundice_japlin]

​@@xxJP805xx What do you fancy yourself as?

[@scambammer6102]

@@jaundice_japlin a dumaz

[@SPOCK22]

Half of america still doesn't even accept that human evolution is actually a thing that happened

[@yvonneplant9434]

Hopefully it's not as many as half.

[@Deetroiter]

Which America…north? South? Latin?

[@anamariaguadayol2335]

Those are the Republican ignoramuses.

[@JB-uv4hm]

Merica.

[@JB-uv4hm]

@@Deetroiter Merica.

[@hbzeke]

A theory is not a myth, it’s a proposed understanding based on the evidence at hand. When more evidence becomes available, the theory evolves.

[@timmy-wj2hc]

Most importantly it has been peer reviewd, tested, replicated and all evidence pointing to the same conclusion.

[@robertmiskey5502]

It’s still a theory, not a proven fact

[@Seashellsbytheseashore21]

A theory is a possibility, might as well be a myth. Theories are just theories and even if it’s been “proven” there is chance for it to become unproven as more information comes avail as it usually does

[@deanbarnett8538]

​@@robertmiskey5502 perhaps our species discovered those bones and seeing that they were similar but different placed some markings on the wall as a protective sigil? For those who believe, Adam was the first prophet and he was human!

[@RuleofFive]

@@robertmiskey5502 You don't understand scientific theory. A scientific theory does not become a scientific law. the theory is in ways more important than the law. The law of gravity explains the phenomena. The theory of gravity explains the "Why" it happens. Scientific theories are peer reviewed with research behind them. So they are the best explanation we have with data and research behind them. You're suggesting a scientific theory is a hutch. That is not true. It's our best explanation until we uncover new research or evidence that debunks it. Unlike religion science is self-correcting.

[@cinmanmoo]

OMG I am claustrophobic and still having symptoms of stress from the image of them squeezing through the entrance. Glad we have dedicated people like Dr. Berger who can do these things.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

Well maybe I should not of watched the video about the real life man who got stuck headfirst and was left to die in a whole like that because they could not get him out, what a nightmare.

[@runnergo1398]

@@HOLLASOUNDS Nightmare fuel.

[@CarryTheThree]

facts, dude had to crawl on his back, make that shit bigger

[@Z3nHolEminD]

And aNutha is taken by image / video trickery

[@3rdmm]

Much to learn yet. Some measure of humility will serve us well.

[@goodtroublemaker143]

‘Homo Sapiens’ means ‘wise man’. We are not and have never been humble.

[@tophat593]

@@goodtroublemaker143 Speak for yourself.

[@3rdmm]

@@goodtroublemaker143 More like Homo Adrogans, *conceited* man.

[@ilonahesseling4821]

@@tophat593, Good Troublemaker is absolutely right.

[@menso3852]

@@goodtroublemaker143 Probably wiser than the other Homos though? Quite a low bar I suppose.

[@sanseiryu]

Think of the difficulty of reaching the inner depths of the cave passages even with modern lighting equipment. Then having to drag a body behind you in order to reach the burial site. Did they even have fire torches that could burn long enough to light the passageways and openings? Because of the care and ritual taken to bury the bodies, did more than one proto human family member follow along? Extraordinary!

[@telebubba5527]

Apparently they did have 'torches' that could burn long enough to light everything up. They also inscribed those symbols and I don't think that would be possible in the dark or with 'match' like lighting. It makes you wonder about all sorts of things they might have had that we don't know about. I have no problem with the realisation that we are not that exceptional as we often think. I dropped that long ago when I realised that animals talk to each other also with special meanings. And that we are only just as 'smart' as we need to be. Fascinating stuff!

[@professorsprout3382]

I didn't think about that but yes. It was a way of caring and ownership like this is mine lets put the body where other animals won't eat it. Bless them.

[@WarriorOfWriters]

No equipment, no rescue teams. These creatures looked at big black holes and said "Ooo, what's in there?" AND WALKED RIGHT IN! The very sight of caves triggers me.

[@willie417]

what did those cave/hole/area look like 100,000 plus years ago, the grounds shift overtime, all of that could have been very close to the surface 200K years ago or maybe Aliens help them😏

[@b.a.erlebacher1139]

​@@willie417The passages into the caves were much larger at the time. They've become smaller over the millennia due to limestone deposits in wetter climate periods.

[@evonne315]

This dudes a real life Indiana Jones ❤

[@mothersgauri4137]

Hat and everything..

[@ardidsonriente2223]

It makes me feel sad to think that so many people still got truly surprised by this. The myth of "human" superiority is so ingrained it hurts.

[@afonsords]

You don't think Homo sapiens sapiens is the smartest animal?

[@eyesyt7571]

This further proves that humans are superior.

[@AnonningAnon]

@@afonsords It's not about us being the smartest currently, it's about the fact that we aren't special and if we do go extinct some day, something will 100% replace the niche we filled eventually (provided mammals still exist, ofc).

[@afonsords]

@@AnonningAnon The proof of we being special or superior (as in top pf the foold chain in power) is that, in your scenario, if we *do* go extinct its because we’ve destroyed the planet and hence all other species.

[@patlecat]

Why is Berger in an Indiana Jones costume?

[@sophiegonzalez2841]

😅😅😅 ,WOA I ALMOST GOT BLOWNG AWAY ON HIS HAT ,BUT SAID NAaaaa,CAUSE TODAY DONT KNOW REAL FROM FAKE ,U FUNNY TO BRING UP INDIANA JONES ,😅😅 MADE MY MORNING 😅

[@Justin-xl3yc]

@@sophiegonzalez2841 Because he's an actor 😏

[@k.k.8394]

Our brain isn't special, he says. Now shut up and welcome your AI overlords.😅

[@LindaC616]

I'm guessing his head is bit *sans pélage*

[@joerogain5025]

I will give you $5,000,000.00 if you can prove to me that tRUMP isn't related to an orangutan and that he isn't the Missing Link to Bigly 🦶Link. $5,000,000.00 smackeroo's is a whole lotta🍌banana's.

[@jmcb8440]

Sadly this discovery will not resonate with or even reach many peoples. It truly shows that modern human beings have much more to learn about their origins and life on earth.

[@mazharulhimel]

Controversial thoughts

[@eyesyt7571]

It probably hurts those who think consciousness is purely based on brain size a lot.

[@USAtentation]

Imagine the discoveries we could find if everyone wasn't so distracted with fighting one another

[@DonTheMoron716]

The media has a lot to do with that.

[@sector13studios]

This is good stuff. I have always said we are not exceptional on earth or in the universe. My 8 month old, very active cat discovered our wildflower patch the other day and proceeded to lay in the middle of it not moving from that spot for hours. The whole time he had this strange look of complete and total satisfaction. The next day he did the same again.

[@runnergo1398]

Domesticated cats are definitely evolving to be smarter. We had a Scottish Fold that was the most smartest and loving cat I ever seen. He even understood what the word "NO" meant and would remember not to do that thing ever again. RIP Felix. You were one of the best!

[@rosemariebredahl9519]

We aren't superior, but each and every one of us is dynamically unique and thus "exceptional" in our totality. Some isolated human skills can be argued to be exceptionally advanced when compared to what skills our current scientific method has proven exist in other species, but the entirety of recorded human knowledge is known to be too limited (& in reality likely even more limited than we mere mortals can comprehend) to draw any reliable absolute conclusions. At best, we only have working models. The skill I admire the second-most in life (most admired being to love) is to stay mindful of our limitations yet willing to keep asking questions, regardless of what any partial answers (& they're all partial) may tempt us to believe are conclusions.

[@DonTheMoron716]

Hopefully, felines rule in the future.

[@sector13studios]

@@DonTheMoron716 sounds like the makings of a great sci fi story. Wynecoop? are you from Spokane area?

[@DonTheMoron716]

@@sector13studios No, from Buffalo, NY. Wynecoop is originally Wynkoop. Dutch and German.

[@JRCORTEZ87]

WOAH!!! This is ultra cool!!! our origins are so mysterious and almost like a jigsaw puzzle for us to put together. remarkable!

[@SoberOKMoments]

Love to see a man so passionate about his work and discoveries that are wonderful.

[@antiquegeek]

I think we should not underestimate the capabilities of early hominids but at the same time we should not overestimate either. I look forward to seeing what they discover in the future but just because we see SOME of the capabilities of modern man does not mean they had ALL of the capabilities. That is a bit like anthropomorphising a capability demonstrated by clever members of species who share the planet with us. Again it will be a fascinating field of study discovering what can be inferred from the burials and other nearby evidence if it can be found. Did they have fire? Did they make tools? Did they knap stone? So many questions on the way to reconnecting with the past.

[@rensinclair4218]

Excellent post.

[@-danR]

I think they discovered electricity, made light bulbs, strung wires into the caves, powered by nuclear reactors. The deeper we dig into the caves, we'll find E=mc^2 scrawled on the walls, and in deeper strata, F=ma....

[@FantasticOtto]

They definitely had fire. Homo erectus wielded fire 1.5 million years ago. Primitive tools are even older. We're talking millions of years.

[@johnwiley2901]

Yes, I agree. These scientists are always saying that man is not exceptional because this species does something man does. And, as you say, it is fascinating. But, man is truly exceptional. None of these things really come close to what humans do every day with ease.

[@InSurrealtime]

@@johnwiley2901 Only because of education. Without our accumulated knowledge we're still stone aged.

[@randelford5817]

I think it's safe to say we are not divine. We are human, pretty simple!

[@silentd.5806]

Everything was created divinely, including humans and the universe

[@gregvoight8616]

However they might appear as a Yankees in today world😂😂😂😂😂

[@JohnFleshman]

@@silentd.5806 Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

[@merlebarney]

@@JohnFleshman 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@mitseraffej5812]

@@silentd.5806Possibly so but not as described in the Christian Bible. While Christianity in all its forms may be the largest single religion ( something has to be) only about 30% of humans alive today are Christian.

[@NVOMK416]

Creationists have left the chat 🤣🤣🤣

[@kylewissman2469]

Yes he's a miracle worker

[@AS-vq3wt]

Nope still here. And it proves my point. It's a natural human condition to: 1)believe in God and afterlife 2) to be armed with weapons (2nd amendment) If you don't believe in those 2 basic human conditions then you are technically not a human being and this proves it. I've been saying this for decades and I've been proven right yet again. I'm always right. You can't challenge a million years of constant human behavior. Slam dunk!!!!

[@joerogain5025]

Do you think CadetBonespurs is that Missing Link to Bigly 🦶Foot and related to an orangutan?

[@microsoft-pox]

Nope still here, but thanks for exposing you incredible ignorance. 🤡

[@FantasticOtto]

@@AS-vq3wt Your acknowledgment of evolution would have had you burned at the stake just a few centuries ago. I guess you can throw away that Bible now, huh?

[@Uouttooo]

It is not about the size, it is how you use it.

[@Lawh]

"We are not exceptional" says the representative of the only remaining species of it's kind, speaking to a plastic lens through which his words are delivered all around the globe in a few seconds, looked at by hundreds of thousands of other beings of his species that he has probably never seen before. Sure buddy. We became the sum of so many of these humanoid parts, against and with all the odds set before us by the universe. I think that's pretty exceptional.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

None of this is really surprising. The biggest unanswered question is how they did this in a deep cave system without lights and other modern equipment. The people who discovered this really had to struggle within the confines and limitations of the cave.

[@cornelia21]

when these bodies were more than likely buried in this cave on purpose the cave itself was closer to and more open to the surface

[@SJR_Media_Group]

@@cornelia21 Thanks for comment. Pretty sure LED lighting wasn't invent yet. When you look at other caves used you can't help but feel amazed, this one for sure.

[@DynaCatlovesme]

It wasn't that deep a cave system when they did it.

[@dreamcoyote]

@@cornelia21 I believe that showing that the cave itself hasn't changed (and thus the contents less likely to be changed) was part of their proof. There weren't any changes due to earthquake etc.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

@@DynaCatlovesme Thanks for comment.

[@IMGreg..]

Not a bloody chance I'd wiggle my way into a space like that. I can barely handle sleeping covered in sheet and forget about sleeping bags. This would go undiscovered if it were left up to me. lol Good for him and his team!

[@thaexception3406]

😆

[@mrsweettater]

I like his "Indiana Jones" garb! These findings may well piss off a lot of conservative thinkers, but that's what you've got to do to make progress. Thanks Dr. Berger!!!

[@mrsweettater]

@@jjt5615 yeah, it's like "military intelligence" or a "black highlighting marker"

[@eyesyt7571]

No, this proves conservative thinkers correct. As we've said, brain size isn't what makes us exceptional. We've been saying this for years. Science always lags behind philosophy. It isn't brain capacity that gives us human consciousness. Consciousness goes beyond the brain. If you weren't so intent on fitting this into your world view, you might see that.

[@mrsweettater]

@@eyesyt7571 nothing proves conservatives thinkers are correct! Try a good laxative!

[@eyesyt7571]

@@mrsweettater You sound AI generated. Tell me, how many other CNN viewers are AI generated?

[@arletebarbosa7048]

I once took this evolutionary biology class in college which explained that just like the canine, the feline species families for example, we primates (gorillas, chimpanzees, every other monkey species) also came from one primitive species which gave birth to offspring and their offspring evolved into different species. From what they are saying this seems that out all the species that that came out the primate family this is the closest to the human species, discovered so far, in terms of type of intelligence. This brings to mind the many remains of different primitive human groups have been discovered in the most recent years. A group of anthropologists for example, discovered the remains of a type of primitive human group that were as small as toddlers in a cave in South Africa, years ago. According to that article, the next challenge was figuring out where that group would go in the timeline between the period scientists believe these primitive human groups started to emerge and the period more recent ancestral primitive groups emerged. I would love to see all these fossils homed and placed in display in one place which they would be in display in order according to the period in time they are believed to have existed. Even if there are gaps(which there are) in the timeline, those gaps would be filled or it would expand as more remains of different human groups would be found. There is no doubt that scientist working in this field have access to such thing. The problem is that every time scientists make these type of discovery, the what they discover belongs to the institution(s) that finance the search or expedition (do not know the right term to use). As a result these remains are scattered throughout universities and museums. Also in some cases scientists might not agree on the period the remains might be from. Thus the gaps in the timeline. But yes, since it is impossible to have such exhibit in physical display in one place,it would be awesome if every museum that has exhibits about human evolution or evolution in general, had a virtual timeline on a touch-screen showing the periods in time each primitive group emerged in and people could actually touch on the images of each primitive group and have access to more information about it. Most likely it already exists but making accessible to both those that are interested in this type of things as well as the general museum visitor would be awesome.

[@lunani]

incredible

[@lunani]

Ignorance and blind faith behind, as humans we should use information like this to build on the information we have on religion. History and discovery cannot work to provide us information that we ignore and move on from, this will die from peoples minds pretty soon. Unfortunate.

[@durbanchow]

I'm waiting for someone in the comments to deny human evolution

[@johnbaldwin2948]

You're telling me that these ancient people crawled all the way in there without flashlights to bury someone?

[@DonTheMoron716]

You ever hear of fire?

[@RealBred]

Do you know what "making fire" is?

[@emillion4470]

Big doesn't necessarily mean better. Just let that sink in...

[@markd9580]

I tell my wife that every time she sleeps with me 😎

[@maddiesilina3833]

@@markd9580 😅

[@johtojosef]

Coolest and most amazing news I've heard in a long time! It's nice when it's not all doom and gloom - focusing more on scientific discoveries like this!

[@fastbow9]

Great work Dr Berger! And very interesting discovery! Finding we are NOT EXCEPTIONAL because of our brain size is an amazing insight into what we are!

[@eyesyt7571]

It's not that we AREN'T EXCEPTIONAL because of our brain size. It's that we aren't exceptional because of our brain size. Brain size isn't what determines consciousness. We are exceptional, but not because of our brain size.

[@HPTM]

Whenever I hear something like this, I think of elephants...they mourn their death and revisit after many years...

[@odellcrittenden5521]

And people still try and say evolution isnt real

[@zhou_sei]

no matter how good the evidence, they will deny it.

[@SeekerStudiosOfficial]

OK. So that begs a few very important questions... Why did our species survive? And who was this other species? If they weren't human. And what does that mean for human origins?Or better yet, What does it mean for our understanding of consciousness and intelligence?

[@lzl4226]

They were kind of human, they're within the homo group, but they are not homo-sapiens. Without DNA analysis, it's hard to tell for certain how far away their branch is from ours, but by their small brains probably not very close. As for consciousness and intelligence, we certainly have more connections in our brain than other species because it's bigger, but size in relation to the body also matters and probably structure plays a more important role than we previously believed.

[@chrisgeyer4002]

They were human in a broader sense They just weren't the Branch of human we are (Homo-Sapien) there used to be many branches of the human family now us Homo-Sapiens are all that remain.

[@RecoveringChristian]

North02, Ben G Thomas and many other channels cover this in depth.

[@luapkirner5331]

Who says we’ve survived? It ain’t over yet, I think we are on our way out.

[@SeekerStudiosOfficial]

@@luapkirner5331 We survived up until this point. At this point we are the dominant species of all the ones that have lived prior. However, that doesn't mean they're done refining us yet. Obviously As the great reset confirms., we are clearly on the way out. But even then, that's only if we choose to allow that. The power lies with us if we're awake enough to see that.

[@davemathews7890]

But evangelical Christians tell us that the world is only 6000 years old.

[@kacodemonio]

They are wrong

[@mhall801]

You sure?

[@BrianKliewer]

"Creationists" but not the Bible. On the subject of time, the Bible doesn't say that Earth is six thousand years old. People do. Those six creative "days" in Genesis are themselves spoken of, as a whole, as one day... Genesis 2:4 "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven." Note: "Generations" in the day. So the entire creative period, all of it, is referred to as a day. Why would God be limited by time formats we experience here on Earth when a day's length on Jupiter is 10 hours long, or Venus 5,832 hours long? We have such restrictions in the physical realm. But would the Creator of all things be constrained by time as we are? What would a "day's" length be to him? For us 24 hours. For Almighty God? There's actually a couple verses that show God is not limited by time as we are and that He does not fit within such constraints... 2 Peter 3:8 But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Psalm 90:4 "For a thousand years are in your eyes just as yesterday when it is past, Just as a watch during the night." The Psalm shows a thousand years are not even as a full day to God, but as a mere watch during the night.

[@joerogain5025]

I think tRUMP is related to an orangutan and he may very well be the Missing Link to Bigly 🦶Foot.

[@cornelia21]

@@BrianKliewer oh geez, nice spin, i love it when biblical apologists say it means exactly what it says here but this passage is symbolic, as usual youre cherry picking what is meant to be taken literally and what is meant to be symbolic, it say 6 DAYS it means 6 DAYS, by your logic maybe it doesnt mean jesus literally came back from the dead, maybe that was just symbolic, lol

[@franklinchinquee8762]

When I was a little boy in rural Jamaica. I recall seeing a man that resembles this ancient man. His name was Sammy.

[@mazharulhimel]

Darren sammy 😊?

[@franklinchinquee8762]

@@mazharulhimel No. His 1st name was Sammy.

[@asianartist1]

lol - okay...

[@danjjjatest]

Amazing!

[@lonzo61]

Ok....well, Sammy needs to talk to this "scientist" and cave explorer who apparently, allegedly, found a species of critter from over 200K years ago who apparently rivals us Homo sapiens. Maybe Sammy is the missing link!

[@JoeXOTic]

2:14 People decided to ignore this part...

[@assassinsrequiem]

ALL the respect to that man for pulling that off. I would have been perfectly fine with video, I would just put a multi-billion dollar camera down there before I could have.

[@bosco008]

The Indians Jones hat is over the top.

[@thenightman8435]

Of his head?

[@Schiffon]

@@thenightman8435 😂❤

[@wideawake5630]

No. Jones wore a Berger hat. This is how they dress in the field, wardrobe dept imitated that

[@lnteIIigence]

Rotting corpses are pretty gross and pretty attractive to beasts. Makes sense they wanted to get them out of the way.

[@Stevenisbelieven]

True, but leaving unique identifying markers above the buried corpse is the more important fact. It shows symbolism, remembrance, and attachment to those that were no longer with them.

[@lnteIIigence]

@@Stevenisbelieven Very good point, that is quite something 👍

[@joerogain5025]

I think tRUMP is the Missing Link to Bigly 🦶Foot and he may very well be related to an orangutan.

[@SLJShortt]

@@Stevenisbelieven Whales do it too. They'll often circle a dead whale while singing or even carry a dead whale with them for miles before letting it go.

[@hadara69]

@@SLJShortt Wales may simply have a different "langauge" we have yet to fully dicepher. You may be right, but it doesn't take away from this discover's impact regarding our origins.

[@willie417]

There's some ducks near me that walk sometimes fly up and down the street usually walk in the grass but they walk across the street, well some guy in a truck ran one over killed it, the other ducks came back for about two weeks, sitting on the grass, not in the street, looking toward the spot that one duck was killed at, what's that about?

[@crystalbluebutterfly]

Mourning the loss of their loved one.

[@joeljong931]

Another reply mentions that different animals use gathering around death as a teaching experience

[@willie417]

@@joeljong931 I don't know why they did it, just that they did it

[@samanthaswade7053]

More proof we are not as exceptional as we'd like to believe. I once saw your same duck scenario happen w squirrels. Squirrels!

[@poeticpoems1234]

That's about the list of a love one...the heart. Some ducks even mate for life even if one dies the mate will remain alone. The Mallard duck. I once saw a Mallard duck continuously try to get it's mate (dead) out of the street. The next day, saw that same duck on the side of the road where it's mate had been hit, with his mate lying beside it. The duck had managed to retrieve it's dead mate from the road. Brains had nothing to do with it's mourning...Heart did. That's where Man's mistake has always been his defeat... His brain, and ego never his heart❤❤❤

[@kacklerot]

I've known since I was 16 that we are not exceptional from animals. We like to think we are but we're the same. We just are more efficient at getting what we want than animals.

[@lonzo61]

In most or many respects, you're right. But please, what animals do you know of that can play music, or to integral calculus. What animals can create a rocket that can propel a largely autonomous spacecraft that can make its way to Saturn and take photos and measurements, and send the information back to scientists and engineers back on earth? Crissakes! Of course we're exceptional. Just because there are many dumb humans does not mean we as a species do remarkable things that no other species is capable of!

[@NBANEWS365]

I love how he puts things into perspective. Humans are not as smart as they claim to be. Coming to that realization years ago made me humbled.

[@anotherpointofview222]

But humans are smarter than non-humans. So if everything before was non-human, or at least not as human as "we" humans, "Modern humans," are, humans are the smartest. Artificial/Advanced Intelligence: Hold my beer.

[@eyesyt7571]

Oof. Speak for yourself. This just proves that we are exceptional, but not because of brain size. A human with a third of the brain size is still conscious. We are that exceptional.

[@lonzo61]

@@eyesyt7571 That was not a human burial site. It was a separate species.

[@eyesyt7571]

@@lonzo61 Technically speaking, any hominid is human. Homosapiens isn't the only human species. This shows that humans are exceptional, but not because of brain size. It shouldn't be humbling, it should be inspiring.

[@lonzo61]

@@eyesyt7571 The h*ll you say. "Any hominid is human." I think you need to do some reading about the species Homo sapiens, and about hominids.

[@tommynikon2283]

In college during the 70's, I had a History teacher/PhD tell me..."Most History is a LIE." Between that and two years of Anthropology.....and ALL that has evolved since I was in school, our perception of Human-kind is evolving also. But if Homo Sapien-sapiens have "only" been around for 250,000 years....what took so long? And if we're so advanced today- and we are, HOW do we explain the conceptualization and CONSTRUCTION of the pyramids?, built THOUSANDS of years ago. With only PRIMITIVE Hand Tools....and EXACTING measurements/Precision. ?? ps: it's not the size of the brain that matters; it's the UTILIZATION of it's capability. Most humans today DON'T come close to maximizing brain functionality.

[@eyesyt7571]

Consciousness isn't based on brain size. This is evidence that s human with a third of the brain size would still be conscious.

[@sirhoopalot1125]

@@eyesyt7571where does the consciousness mind come from?

[@mochamekia]

Very Interesting!

[@bluenotez3234]

Presidents brain is the size of a fruit fly and to sum he's our leader....further proof anything is possible right

[@martiantv805]

We only listen to Graham Hanncock

[@DeanStrickson]

More ons only listen to more ons.

[@martiantv805]

Says the mor on himself

[@HighPriestofLemuria]

I mean we knew already that Neanderthalensis could use symbolic thinking but this conformation outside of our genus of this is truly revolutionary in our understanding of ourselves and our heritage.

[@leokimvideo]

People laughed at Planet Of The Apes was sci fi junk. Not any more, there really was a Planet Of The Apes

[@anotherpointofview222]

Where?

[@DeanStrickson]

Still is. Humans are apes.

[@joeschmuckatelli3198]

I thought it was Al sharpton in the thumbnail

[@dremac33]

Your racist humor is about as dry as the wood you use to make wooden crosses to burn. But if you actually think about about, white people are identical to monkeys than black people. Think about. Which race are the hairest? Which race has straight hair? Bright eyes? Thin lips? The ears? 😂😂 Your people 😂😂

[@dremac33]

More proof 😂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJfPfol6aLBnic0

[@cornelia21]

it is speculated and also suspected that HOMO-HEIDELBERGENSIS, which lived between 500,000 to 1-Million years ago, also had burial practices and rituals and also possibly spiritual beliefs

[@robertmiskey5502]

Doesn't make them Human beings and does not rule out the divine creation of Modern Humanity. You are simply limiting yourself to the confines of darwinism and claiming your theory to be fact. As usual

[@Croakin]

​​@@robertmiskey5502 no, actually. You are just wrong. Faith is literally the abscence of evidence.

[@sebcw1204]

@@robertmiskey5502 we don't use darwinism anymore. the study of evolution has gone WAY beyond what he had access to. just because YOUR position is based on authority handed down from on high, doesn't mean that's how science works. in fact, we reward those who successfully overturn established theory. and theory is one of the most robust levels of scientific understanding. an idea doesn't become a theory until it has made accurate predictions and explanations that best fit the observations. just because we have a colloquial definition of theory doesn't mean that's how scientists use the term.

[@joerogain5025]

These early hominids are smarter than any god damn tRUMPers I've encountered.

[@shionuzuki5549]

Is that the best Christians can come up with? Thr Bible us a fictional story written by bored, lazy bums who didn't want to do real work. EOS

[@northerniltree]

It still doesn't explain the prehistoric beer cans buried nearby.

[@myeyeswentdeaf6213]

This is an AMAZING discovery! I’m blown away.

[@Green4CloveR]

Even dolphins mourn their dead. Grief is an animal experience, not exclusive to humans

[@Croakin]

Explain this one creationists!

[@OffConstantly55]

More lies, fallacies, reality denial, quote mining, etc...

[@Croakin]

​@@OffConstantly55 its big fossil making up fake lizards and burying them in herds at specific geological layers inside the earth!! Not to mention they all fill specific niches and roles in their respective environments! 🤪

[@joerogain5025]

Do you think tRUMP is related to an orangutan and that he's the Missing Link to Bigly 🦶Foot?

[@ok.ok.5735]

You might be a monkey but not me. Different species and subspecies that were as somewhat intelligent as us have all went extinct because humans killed them all. Evolution is just an excuse for the genocide that happened after which they were buried.

[@Sonar90]

Easy pz, God created evolution.

[@Johannes_Brahms65]

"anymal studies show that we're not special." "Wait, we áre exceptional because we're the only species that do anymal studies!"

[@tjwoosta]

Non-Human, but how far non-human? There must be a common ancestor right? At what point are we no longer human?

[@c.m.9369]

The species-boundary is actually rather arbitrary. As humans, we want to categorize things into clear, distinct groups. But nature usually doesn‘t do that. Every individual is usually the same species as their parents (cross-species hybrids ignored for the moment). And yet, the accumulation of changes can lead to enough change over time, that an individual still can end up being a different species than its ancestors. It‘s not intuitive and difficult to wrap your head around, but again: nature doesn‘t care for our intuition.

[@sebcw1204]

that's actually a difficult question to answer. the transition from our more basal ape ancestor was gradual, and we only get snapshots from paleontology.

[@joerogain5025]

tRUMP is not human. He is the classic case of DEVO-DEVOLUTION. I sincerely believe he's related to an orangutan and may very well be the Missing Link to Bigly 🦶Foot.

[@tjwoosta]

@@c.m.9369 Which is why I ask how they can consider this non-human. Is it closer to us than existing primates? What are the distinguishing features that makes this a non-human? Why can't we just consider it a prehistoric human civilization?

[@chrisgeyer4002]

I think he misspoke they were definitely in the human family just not of our branch the Homo-Sapiens

[@assassinsrequiem]

"Humans are not exceptional." What a perfect way to cut down this superiority, hubris, and pride most people have about themselves.

[@DonTheMoron716]

Correct. It’s our mouths that get us in trouble.

[@JasonMcMullen]

HOLD ON, our thoughts about death are not the only thing that sets humans apart from other animals. He says "the brain does not make us who we are" but in fact he has no evidence of this species' ability to reason in relation to modern humans

[@jaymass1178]

Exactly

[@emilerose1424]

True. Animals would never have attempted Jan 6.

[@jaymass1178]

@@emilerose1424 You need some mental help soon.

[@georgewilkie3580]

No, Doctor, "That just died" certainly did Not "Just die". As you well know Doc, your recent discovery will take at least several years of intense study before your "That just died" conclusion can be accepted. You well know this, Doctor. Yet, you quickly jumped into the Spotlights as the "Wonder Boy" that changed the roots of all Human Kind. There's something very odd about your peculiar story. I'll wait for a little more study to be conducted on this whole affair.

[@sebcw1204]

gotta say, LOVE the hat.

[@jcarry5214]

There are some really intriguing stories about Naledi possibly still running around Southern Africa. Can’t remember the guys name right now but he makes a sincere case about seeing them in some really isolated, protected places when he was looking for undocumented bands of elephants.

[@JanoschNr1]

A man of focus and sheer f*cking will

[@webmediafactors4]

Its not surprising to me, in Dragons of Eden, though not proven, Sagan explains at length the dynamics of protoman and how what becomes "home sapiens" arrives at that through a process of eliminating all other parallel expressions of the genome.

[@bass_not_bombs]

Lead up to alien reveal? 🤔 we discover we aren't the first or something

[@BrenQ99]

CONGRATULATIONS, CNN!!!!! So happy for you that you have been Licht-Liberated!!!!!

[@flyjet787]

WOW! Extraordinary discovery!

[@_La_Knight]

This is a great story. I was also stunned that a news ancho did not know how to pronounce Paleoanthropologist.

[@marklasky3555]

"We are not exceptional"? what a fool

[@dcarr1320]

right!? they made some scratches and died out. we created machines that fly humans all over the world. I think we're still a little exceptional.

[@rickdworsky6457]

Human hubris mixed with insecurity and ignorance, is a degrading spectacle. At least feel some respect for the long legacy of life... that shaped you.

[@rensinclair4218]

We're not

[@rensinclair4218]

​@@dcarr1320 we destroy our environment. We're a plague and Mother Nature will eventually cure herself of us.

[@marklasky3555]

@@rensinclair4218 Speak for youself

[@courtneyanderson2703]

Looks like MTG😮😮😮

[@JoSeF...]

Thank GOD For Science

[@kevinwasserburger3119]

Which god?

[@Muttinchopsforever]

​@@kevinwasserburger3119 Anyone you want they're all made up.

[@joerogain5025]

1,000,000 Gods!

[@evolutionistheflyingspaghe2702]

Are you acquainting what he’s talking about with the scientific method? If so, you are deluded.

[@rensinclair4218]

Nope

[@jakemoeller7850]

The Rising Star Cave is an amazing discovery.

[@booradley32]

Love that he’s dressed like Indiana Jones for this interview. That series undoubtedly inspired everyone in his field when they were kids.

[@seanphurley]

Very interesting work despite the sensationalism

[@bettinadewoof3309]

It is a sensational discovery. Hence the excitement.

[@seanphurley]

@@bettinadewoof3309 I was referring to his inferences about brain size as sensational, not the facts aboutancient humans. The sensational discovery is not what he was being sensationalist about.

[@JoeXOTic]

"They have our capabilities" for scratching on walls? Probably someone was getting assaulted-

[@fishybusinessco.8398]

Free humanity to go forward we must move past need believing in what we can’t see

[@wideawake5630]

I disagree.

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks for posting.

[@tumblingrosesstudio]

Incredible, how fabulous to be alive to see this

[@professorsprout3382]

The real Indiana Jones. I'll bet the symbols are an attempt at writing the name of the dead loved one or attempt to mark the space with a word like love or mine. I know my dog would do that for me. So never underestimate. I'm sure they were moved by deep connection and feeling. Elephants carry the bones of their dead around like hugging them carrying them and making vocalization. Animals have taught me to be more human.

[@aerynventress7702]

Did I hear him correctly? Did he, a paleoanthropologist, just say that Homo naledi was *not* a human species? I hope he just forgot the word 'modern'. 🤔😅

[@chrisgeyer4002]

I think that's what he meant to say. They definitely were of a branch of the human family just not ours

[@Azaarv]

Homo naledi was a human species but as “advanced” as modern to middle homo

[@robertpearce4316]

This guy is a grandstander. Like those guys that see cell phones or astronaut in old building designs. Very odd place to have burials. Sure almost modern man has some out of the place burials. Are they burials or accidents. Are they geometric sketches or just random lines.

[@bermudabengal]

EXACTLY! those HYROGLYPHS on the caves walls on either side look like claw scratch marks of that poor animal trying to escape it's fall into that crevasse! i saw ZERO "SYMBOLS"😒

[@douglemay7989]

@@bermudabengal Credentials for making that judgement? Crickets.

[@johnmichaelson9173]

He's not a "grandstander" & the rest of your comment is so way off I wonder at your motive for saying such a thing?

[@robertpearce4316]

@johnmichaelson9173 first off he didn't find it. He had to lose alot of weight just to get in there. I know that people were buried in weird hard to get to places. As old as this was, who to say they fell in and then covered. Or used it to hide and could get back out. Because he is part of national geographic we believe if. They we only good for top less pics of natives. Yes he is a grandstander.

[@johnmichaelson9173]

@@robertpearce4316 No he's not they have been excavating the Rising Star caves since 2013. You obviously haven't got a clue about these caves so why don't you toddle off & watch a Ron Wyatt video, smh.

[@danielbutler946]

You see how new info always becomes available over time

[@DonTheMoron716]

Time is never ending. That’s what most don’t understand. It keeps going, never ends.

[@danielbutler946]

@@DonTheMoron716 Ohh there's a end there always is see infinitence had a beginning everything does as such a end tht is time

[@DonTheMoron716]

@@danielbutler946 What level of education have you achieved? Doesn’t matter. The internet has ruined punctuation. Open ended sentences everywhere! Ha ha! Holy shit! Happy 4th, Danny boy.

[@danielbutler946]

you?

[@DonTheMoron716]

@@danielbutler946 At least I get a question mark. Does it matter? One of the best things that you can do is end your sentences with periods. It’s called emphasis. Run on sentences that make no sense, with unintelligible wording, does not help.

[@cre8original]

Anyone who studied an ant farm at school knows that ants bury their dead, too.

[@johnmichaelson9173]

But these burials pre-date the earliest human ritualistic burials by at least 100,000 years. And being a member of the Homo species it's simply not comparable with Ant behaviour.

[@journeymansmitty8283]

Wow this is amazing an earlier set of humanoids they have their own language your mathematical systems and their way of living would be really cool to study🤔

[@paulcooper1046]

Definitely interesting. That being said, keep it in perspective. We have numerous countries with spacecraft on Mars currently exploring the Red Planet. He and his team found, "a common burial area with some symbols marked on a cave wall." It's two different narratives.

[@suggadeg]

I can’t believe what we are seeing….. there are scratch marks! Fucking scratch marks!

[@Croakin]

They dont know what the hieroglyphs are saying because nobody has ever heard of written language outdating mesopotamian culture by THOUSANDS of years. Go be brain dead elsewhere, science is dope and this is a fat middle finger to creationism.

[@bosco008]

Lol!!!!

[@Falcorsky]

Groundbreaking

[@SD-ik1xf]

How to tell me you don’t understand the significance of this discovery without saying you don’t understand the significance of this discovery.

[@roberthollingsworth8940]

Writing is just scratch marks to the illiterate.

[@marcleviton5401]

Let's not miss the point that they had to control fire in order to remain in the areas of the cave to perform the wall cavings.

[@robincrowflies]

Humans absolutely must let go of the "we are special" narrative.

[@jenkem4464]

Someone using 90% of a tennis ball sized brain smarter than someone using 10% of a melon sized brain. (crude example but useful analogy) Even if that 10-15% brain usage is a myth, we really don't know the potential capabilities of other possible biological configurations of brains. For all we know there are species out there with way smaller brains but much much more densely packed and efficient connections so the end result is a more powerful natural computer. Scale is relative.

[@CaesarBro]

It would be interesting to see if our species has DNA from this earlier species.

[@elram2649]

2:13 The doc says twice "it's not a human species" and @4:13.

[@CaesarBro]

@@elram2649 Neanderthalensis isn’t a human species either and we have as much as 5% of DNA from them. Am I missing something?

[@AnonningAnon]

It's a distant cousin, not directly related to us, only related by a distant primitive ancestor (meaning we don't share DNA with them as we do with Neanderthals... that we know of anyway).

[@daPWNisher123]

The thing that sets us humans apart from every other species is that we’re made in the image of God! 🙌

[@douglemay7989]

A man said that first.

[@tombeacher9667]

They were still primates so not much differerent than us plus 250k years is a blip on the timeschale, his reference that we do not have special characteristics compared to whales or crows is insane.

[@RSKLove]

Great message!

[@Paremata]

I'm not that impressed. I also wouldn't be surprised if it was a hoax. Also, the most unique human trait compared with other species is not our brain. At least from what I recall the most unique human trait is our cooling system. I would imagine when you combine all of the human traits such as large brain, opposable thumbs, ability to communicate it's what really gives humans and advantage.

[@douglemay7989]

Meet me in the basement of the pizza parlor. I'll be the guy sitting with JFK, Jr.

[@doubleslit9513]

Great story. More content like this. Less content about trumps latest stupidity.

[@lisagarrett4943]

THANK YOU

[@tmpqtyutmpqty4733]

Yet people believe in a book from 4000 years ago

[@JoSeF...]

Unfortunately people take it too literal, it's most likely if anything symbolic

[@evolutionistheflyingspaghe2702]

But finite, fallible, and depraved humans conjecture things you think are “sacred”.

[@Santos.Sarmento]

Tmpqtyu Tmpqty I also don't understand that this book of children's fables, written thousands of years before science, filled with finite, fallible, and depraved human conjecture things can be considered acceptable and even sacred by simple minded illiterate people.

[@West_Coast]

2:28 That's that brotha Rico from down the block.

[@bonniedrouillard3963]

Thank you for this!

[@Paul-lm5gv]

Scratches on a cave wall - that he even admits he doesn't know what they mean - don't equate to civilization's grave marker!

[@amythompson6431]

Just because he doesn't know what it means (how could he?) doesn't mean it's nothing.

[@Seashellsbytheseashore21]

Use your common sense. Why else mark on a wall, if not notating amounts of days or name