More Confusion about H. Naledi

Science is tedious at time, since there is a great deal of testing, observation, research, re-testing, patience, and so on. Other times, science is exciting when a test is confirmed, a breakthrough is made, or a discovery is presented. But science is also exasperating, since those new discoveries yield new information, old results are refined and discarded, the science industry causes embarrassment by making grand announcements over incomplete data, and additional studies need to be made.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Paul H. G. M. Dirks et al (CC BY 4.0)

News about bones in remote cave chambers began trickling in, and the hands at the Darwin Ranch were having a hootenanny for their ownselves. As the puzzle pieces were assembled, the party slowed a mite, as the bones were dated to be much more recent than evolutionists had hoped. Further, some of the bones may indicate not extreme age or another alleged evolutionary form, but pathological conditions, such as cretinism. There is no compelling reason to believe that these bones are evidence of human evolution.

On Tuesday 9 May 2017, the second live streaming instalment of the Homo naledi saga occurred, broadcast from Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa. Lee Berger, Paul Dirks and John Hawks took turns in presenting the latest findings regarding the so-called hominin (or hominid) fossils from the Rising Star cave system.

They were also first authors on three new papers on the topic, published on the same day. Paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, of Wits University, is the leader of the Rising Star research team. A similar live streaming event occurred on 10 September 2015, introducing the alleged ‘ape-man’ species Homo naledi to the world, accompanied by the initial Homo naledi publications.

The following article is long, technical, and has 128 references, so it's intended for people with significant knowledge in the area, and are smarter than me. To proceed, click on "Den of ape-men or chambers of the sickly?" You may also want to check out the "Related Articles" and "Further Reading" items at the end.