Wednesday 30 September 2015

The Palaeolithic artist: part 23

A very generous comparison of H. naledi with fairly recent hominids (with H. floresiensis thrown in just to confuse things). I say generous because if you look at the reconstruction of the face of H. naledi, we really should be thinking more like about 3 million years ago than 1.3. Just picture him a little more furry.

image   authors: Chris Stringer, Natural History Museum, United Kingdom - Stringer, Chris (10 September 2015). "The many mysteries of Homo naledi". eLife 4: e10627. DOI:10.7554/eLife.10627. PMC: 4559885. ISSN 2050-084X.


As it is my birthday today, I will let you do the work for this post as I have various things to do and events to enjoy. All you need are the two images on this post and the Popular Archaeology article with its images. Take a look at the geological map and try to figure out the relationship between the pile of material inside the large chamber and the right angle in the rock at the other end of that chamber. Remember, dolomite is sedimentary rock formed in water, and water and pressure can (respectively)wear it away and fracture it. Look at the strata. Then think about the soft sediment where the bones were found and what might cause a bird to fly through a narrow passage in complete darkness and why mice would go where there could be no food. Then try to imagine the circumstances that would allow such caves to remain in pristine condition for a thousand years, let alone more than a million. If you come up with anything, leave it as a comment. I see no great need to comment myself. (click images to enlarge)

(credits as in part 22)
 


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