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South Africa

Three-quarter and frontal views of Homo neledi skull from Lesedi Chamber, South Africa. Source: Hawks, J et al/Elife Sciences

Controversial Claims About Homo Naledi Are Stirring Up Evolution Research

Mike W. Morley et al. / The Conversation In June, researchers led by paleoanthropologist Lee Berger published sensational claims about an extinct human species called Homo naledi online and in the...
Homo Naledi facial reconstruction. Source: Cicero Moraes / CC by SA 4.0.

Discovering Homo Naledi’s Meaningful Burials (Video)

In the world of groundbreaking discoveries, the revelation that Homo naledi practiced burial rituals and employed symbols for communication stands as a potent reminder that our understanding of our...
Possible hominin tracks with footwear in the Garden Route National Park, South Africa. Source: Charles Helm/The Conversation

Tracks on a South African Beach Offer Oldest Evidence Yet of Human Footwear

Charles Helm /The Conversation When and where did our ancestors first fashion footwear? We cannot look to physical evidence of shoes for the answer, as the perishable materials from which they were...
Dr Lee Berger with hashtag carving in Rising Star cave system. Insert; Possible Homo naledi burial pit. 	Source: © Berger et al., 2023

Enigmatic Hominin Seemingly Buried Dead and Carved Symbols 100,000 Years Before Modern Humans

A groundbreaking series of papers published yesterday proposes that Homo naledi , an ancient human species, engaged in burial practices and created engravings deep within a cave system in southern...
Xhosa boys taking part in the Ulwaluko circumcision tradition. Source: Dingeman / GNU Free Documentation License.

From Boys to Men: The Circumcision Tradition of the Xhosa People (Video)

The circumcision ritual has long been a rite of passage for young men in many cultures. For the Xhosa people of South Africa, the tradition , known as Ulwaluko, is a crucial aspect of their cultural...
The new research revealed that the giant snails were cooked on hot embers by hunter-gatherers in southern Africa thousands of years ago. (Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock)

Prehistoric Hunters Roasted and Ate Giant Snails 170,000 Years Ago

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unearthed the remains of enormous snail shells at a 225,000-year-old archaeological site in southern Africa. What makes this find truly remarkable is...
Researchers have found evidence in South Africa that Homo naledi used controlled fire within caves. Insert: Homo naledi facial reconstruction.  Source: Brilliant Eye / Adobe Stock, Insert; Cicero Moraes (Arc-Team) et alii, CC BY 4.0

Shocking Evidence Homo Naledi Used Fire 230,000 Years Ago

Ground-breaking new evidence has emerged from South Africa that suggests that Homo sapiens may not have been the first species to use controlled fire. Fossil remains of Homo naledi were discovered in...
The Cradle of Humankind visitors’ complex in Maropeng, South Africa.	Source: Olga Ernst / CC BY-SA 4.0

Denizens of South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind: The First Walking Apes

The human story begins in Africa. Of the many fascinating fossil sites in Africa, an important one is the Cradle of Humankind outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. The many caves and rock outcrops...
Smuts house

Former Home of South African Statesman Rumored To Be Haunted

The farmstead of General Jan Smuts on the outskirts of Pretoria , South Africa is reputed to be one of the most haunted private homes in the country, according to Mr. Mark Rose-Christie, raconteur...
Our human ancestors, who lived in Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa, were likely Homo habilis.

Breakthrough Research Reveals Wonderwerk Cave Is the World’s Oldest Home

In the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, has produced a cornucopia of wonders for archaeologists searching for the truth about human origins. Cave art, stone tools, burned bones, soil, and ash, and a...
105,000-Year-Old Kalahari Crystals Challenge Cultural Evolution Story

105,000-Year-Old Kalahari Crystals Challenge Cultural Evolution Story

New research at a rockshelter on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa challenges the assumption that modern human origins and complex behaviors were limited to coastal environments. A...
The biggest breakthrough in the Little Foot study was the scientific power of Diamond Light Source's advanced synchrotron technology.

Micro-Laser Study Reveals Hardships In Little Foot’s Life

Using the latest in advanced imaging technology, a team of scientists from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Spain performed a series of detailed examinations of the fossilized remains of Little...
The tin of Boer War chocolates recently found among the papers of Banjo Paterson, Australia's most famous poet.    Source: National Library of Australia

Poet’s 120-Year-Old Chocolates Found In Australia’s National Library

While going through the personal papers of the famous Australian poet, author, and newspaper correspondent Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson, conservators at the National Library of Australia discovered...
The question of when humans discovered how to make fire is an issue of hot debate in archaeology. The most recent answer may have been found at Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa. Source: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

First Human Fire Starter Was 1.6 Million Years Ago, Scientist Says

Fire, and learning how to control it, greatly altered the course of human evolution allowing our ancestors to cook food, fight off predators and explore colder climates. Defining when humans first...
Archaeology shows the damaging impact of pandemic outbreaks and how the ancient Africans dealt with them. From social distancing to more extreme measures of burning settlements, what lessons can be applied today?    Source: Fxquadro / Adobe stock

Archaeology Shows How Ancient African Societies Managed Pandemics

Every so often, a pandemic emerges that dramatically alters human society. The Black Death (1347 - 1351) was one; the Spanish flu of 1918 was another. Now there’s COVID-19 . Archaeologists have long...
Homo naledi juvenile skeleton (Bolter et al. 2020) and reconstruction of a Homo naledi adult. (Cicero Moraes (Arc-Team) et al/CC BY 4.0)

Ancient Hominin Skeleton Holds Clues To How Our Ancestors Grew Up

There are various ways researchers can explore the evolution of ancient humans and our relatives. Mapping their movements through genetic migrations , discovering more about what they ate and their...
Border Cave Excavation site, Lebombo Mountains, South Africa.        Source: Credit Dr Lucinda Backwell/ Wits University

170,000-Year-Old Human Diet Contained Roast Vegetables

New research focused on the roasted remnants of rootstalks found in a Lebombo Mountain cave in South Africa suggests early humans brought the plants to the cave to feed to their young and old. A new...
A rock surface containing a circular pattern with a central depression. Source: Science Direct.

Explaining Ancient Patterns and Sculptures on South African Beaches

One of the first things many kids – or even adults – may do when they are on a beach or dune is to make patterns in the sand or sculptures in the form of sandcastles. Many generations of humans have...
Radio Telescope

Powerful Radio Telescopes in South Africa are Revolutionizing Astronomy

The world’s largest radio telescope is expected to come online sometime in 2020. The S quare Kilometre Array (SKA) is an internationally sponsored and funded initiative that will include more than...
Meet the 800-Year-Old Golden Rhinoceros that Challenged Apartheid South Africa

Meet the 800-Year-Old Golden Rhinoceros that Challenged Apartheid South Africa

It may be small enough to sit in the palm of your hand, but even now – nearly 800 years after it was lost to sight in what is now South Africa – the Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe has powerful...
The Big Hole, Kimberley, South Africa

Kimberley Mine is Better Known as ‘The Big Hole’, but Was it Cursed?

It has always been accepted that Kimberley Mine in Northern Cape, South Africa is the deepest and biggest mine dug by hand. And yet, it isn’t. Jagersfontein Mine claims that title, but this fact has...
A digitally-developed 3D satellite image of Kweneng

Was the Lost African City of Kweneng Linked to Gold Trading?

A lost city, Kweneng, dating to between 1400 and 1875 lies south from Johannesburg, South Africa at the Suikerbosrand archaeological site and nature reserve. The site has attracted archaeological...
Insert: Example of a Howiesons Poort stone tool found at the Klipdrift Shelter. Background: Overview of Klipdrift Complex From Sea. (Credits Magnus Haaland). Experts have found that similar tools were found hundreds of kilometers away in the Stone Age in South Africa.

Social Ties in Stone Age South Africa: Experts Find Stone Tools Connected Far Away Communities

Stone tools that were discovered and examined by a group of international experts showed for the first time that various communities that lived during the Middle Stone Age period were widely...
Prehistoric rock art using ochre paint on a cave wall in Drakensberg, South Africa

Prehistoric Man in South Africa Made Milk-based Paint 49000 years ago

A paint mixture of ochre and wild bovid milk, possibly from a buffalo or eland or similar animal, was found on a chip of a stone tool dating back 49,000 years in Sibudu Cave, a rock shelter in...

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