Homo naledi Teeth From 20 Individuals Suggest All-Female Burial Site in South Africa
Updated
Updated · Popular Science · Jun 24
Homo naledi Teeth From 20 Individuals Suggest All-Female Burial Site in South Africa
3 articles · Updated · Popular Science · Jun 24
Summary
Twenty Homo naledi individuals from South Africa’s Dinaledi Chamber showed no male enamel marker after scientists analyzed peptides from 23 teeth, pointing to a potentially all-female burial group.
Amelogenin-Y—coded by the Y chromosome—was absent in every sample, and the team checked amino acids to confirm the proteins were ancient rather than modern contamination.
The result could explain why the fossils showed so little male-female physical variation, a puzzle that has persisted since the remains were first found in Rising Star Cave between 2013 and 2015.
Researchers said the pattern may reflect sex-specific burial practices, implying unexpectedly complex symbolic behavior, though an isolated population with a mutated or deleted male marker remains another possible explanation.
Why did an ancient human relative bury only its females deep inside a treacherous cave?
Did small-brained ancestors have social rituals once thought exclusive to modern humans?
Exclusive Female Homo naledi Assemblage Found: 20 Fossils from Rising Star Cave Challenge Evolutionary Assumptions
Overview
A groundbreaking study released on June 24, 2026, revealed that all 20 Homo naledi individuals sampled from the Rising Star cave system appear to be female. Using advanced protein analysis on tooth enamel, researchers found a consistent absence of the Y-chromosome-linked amelogenin protein, strongly indicating a uniformly female group. The chance of randomly finding only females in a mixed-sex population is extremely low, making this discovery highly significant. This finding challenges long-held beliefs about early hominin social structures and biology, marking a pivotal moment that prompts a major re-evaluation of Homo naledi and our understanding of human evolution.