4 SCIENCE SAFARI Grocott’s Mail 4 AUGUST 2017 Our ancestors in Africa Darwin’s Hunch: Science, lution, religion and politics and Nkwane Molefe for their paper reclaimed the cradle for Race and the Search for there was standing room significant role in finding the Europe with the discovery of a Human Origins only, yet Kuljian also shows almost complete skeleton. 7.2 million-year-old jawbone By Christa Kuljian him to be a grave robber who Politics is never far from in Greece and a few teeth of wouldn’t hesitate to dig up a centre stage in Darwin’s similar age in Bulgaria. body if he thought it might Hunch as those in power use Kuljian’s book accepts the Reviewed by Steven Lang have interesting bones. palaeontological discover- widely held premise that Dar- his book is essential The writer clearly went to ies to support their agendas. win’s hunch was correct and reading for anyone who a lot of trouble to unearth South African Prime Minister, that the first humans walked thinks it is important to the stories of anonymous as- Jan Smuts, had nothing but in Africa. understandT the political and sistants who had helped the praise for the exploits of both However, not all palaeontol- scientific context of palaeo- prominent scientists with Dart and Broom as he believed ogists agree on where in Africa anthropology in South Af- their discoveries. their discoveries supported his that happened. Once again, it rica. It is an extensive and Racism within the scien- notions of separate races. became the subject of politics thoroughly researched work tific community meant that He encouraged the two of – were the first humans from that methodically contextu- Author of Darwin's Hunch, research assistants and exca- them to forge ahead in their East Africa or from Southern alises groundbreaking (lit- Christa Kulijan vators occasionally had com- search for the ‘missing link’. Africa? The answer to this erally) discoveries within plete names, but more often Many years later, when Dr question largely depends on just first names or were mere- Lee Berger announced with where a particular scientist the political setting of their ity’s genesis was in Africa. renown was built on a col- ly nameless ‘quarry boys’. unprecedented fanfare the happened to be working. time. Dart’s claim of African ori- lection of skeletons that he Kuljian gives identity and discovery of in Arguably, the worst kind It is a book about the gins flew in the face of the avariciously accumulated with humanity to some of these the Dinaledi Cave System of politics occurred at a more mavericks, egos and unsung accumulated wisdom of the scant regard for the families of less renowned contributors to he counted on the presence micro, personal level where heroes of palaeoanthropol- European scientific establish- the deceased. our knowledge of palaeontol- of Deputy President, Cyril bitter interpersonal rivalries ogy in . It’s also ment who believed that Eu- In the case of /Keri-/Keri, ogy. She tells the back story of Ramaphosa to supply some hampered the study of our about how callous colonial rope, or at a push Asia, were he didn’t even wait for her to Daniel Mosehle an assistant sort of political validation of hominin ancestors. Kuljian and apartheid mindsets al- far more likely to have served die before he made arrange- who was so talented at find- the new find. makes a credible effort at de- lowed otherwise courageous as a cradle for the human race. ments to transport her body to ing and identifying fossils that Politics is not, however, scribing these feuds and how scientists to ride roughshod His main support came from his university. Broom thought he was worth restricted to governments. they ultimately determined over the dignity of indigenous , an equally odd In his haste to make a cast his weight in gold. There still is the grand politi- what we know today. South Africans. eccentric who later discovered of her body he did not bother She also makes a point cal question of which conti- Darwin’s Hunch is rich with Christa Kuljian documents the bones of Mrs Ples, an Aus- consulting with her family. that while most palaeontol- nent can legitimately claim facts, anecdotes, explanations the audacious and often idi- tralopithecus africanus that Broom is recognised today ogy books recognise Dr Ron to be the cradle of mankind. and good solid research. It is osyncratic research exploits of he modestly described as “the as an extraordinary scientist Clarke as the person who dis- The review copies of this book hard to absorb it all, but it will who identified most important fossil skull and an inspiring teacher who covered Little Foot, he made were still fresh off the printing be a pleasure to read again the as a hominin ever found in world history”. sometimes gave four lectures a point of giving credit to his presses when a recently pub- and keep as a reference work ancestor and so confirmed Kuljian documents, how- a day. When he gave a series assistants, Stephen Motsumi lished, widely cited academic to read several times over. Darwin’s hunch that human- ever, how Dart’s academic of open lectures about evo- Almost human in By STEVEN LANG Maropeng boasts one of the most spectacular exhibitions of human ancestors in the world. The recently discovered Homo naledi fossils are undoubtedly the showpieces of this extraor- dinary museum, but there is plenty more for science tourists to see. President Thabo Mbeki offi- cially opened Maropeng as the official Visitors’ Centre of the Piece of Neo’s jawbone were discovered in the Lesedi Chamber of Cradle of Mankind World Her- the system. Neo is the name given to a collection itage Site, in December 2005. of Homo naledi. Photo: Steven Lang In May this year, the Homo nal- edi exhibition with the original into the chamber are notice- dead. This prospect caused bones of two almost complete ably lithe because the access much consternation among skeletons opened to the public. chute to the chamber narrows academics because until that Two amateur cave explorers, to less than 20 centimetres time it was held that only hu- Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker, wide. mans and Neanderthals bur- made the original discovery in A full size, three-dimension- ied their dead. some of the almost inaccessible al replica allows visitors to try Berger argued that since reaches of the Rising Star cave pass through the tiny chute it was extremely improbable system in 2013. that the cave explorers have that the fossils would get into Since then thousands of to negotiate when entering or the Dinaledi Chamber by H. naledi bones have been re- exiting the chamber. Most visi- chance, the dead hominins moved from the Lesedi and Di- tors do not need to even try. must have been deliberately naledi Chambers of the system The exhibition includes put there. There was no sign located in the heart of the Cra- videos, photos and a range of predators or flood-waters dle of Humankind. of riveting explanations of bring dead H. naledi into the Professor Lee Berger of Wits the bones Berger’s team has cave as the case has been in University has been in charge found in the Rising Star cave many other caves. of operations to study the lat- system. However, the high- The age of the H. naledi est addition to our family tree light of the exhibition are the bones is also controversial. and to ensure that 3D images glass-cases containing the Initially scientists thought of the bones are made available original H. naledi skeletons that the bones were just over to scientists all over the world. that have been studied so far. two million years old, but When the new H. naledi ex- The H. naledi bones have later, more thorough analysis hibition was inaugurated, Berg- provoked more than their indicated that the fossils are er and his colleague, Prof John share of controversy – start- much younger – between 236 Hawks launched their book en- ing with the name of the 000 and 335 000 years old. titled Almost Human – The As- new species. Does it belong If this dating is confirmed, tonishing Tale of Homo naledi, to the Homo genus at all? it is conceivable that H. nal- describing how the new species While some features of the edi and our human predeces- was discovered and explaining new hominin appear to fit in sors might have shared living its significance to the general nicely with Homo, others are spaces. public. closer to more primitive Aus- Whatever your view – read As you enter the H. naledi tralopethecines. the book Almost Human and exhibition space there is a life- One of the most conten- visit the Maropeng Visitors’ size cutaway of the all-female tious ideas put forward by Centre. team that brought more than 1 Berger when he presented More information can be 500 bones out of the Dinaledi H. naledi to the world was found at: http://www.maro- Chamber. the probability of the an- peng.co.za or http://www.the- All explorers who have been cient hominins burying their cradleofhumankind.net/