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Hominids may have lived alongside modern humans in Africa, say scientists

Maropeng (South Africa) - It had previously been thought that the hominids were millions of years old.

Primitive hominids may have lived in Africa at the same time as humans, researchers said on Tuesday, in new findings that could change the understanding of human evolution.
Fossils found deep in South Africa's Rising Star cave complex in 2013 have been dated by several expert teams with their findings suggesting the hominids, called Homo naledi, may have lived alongside Homo sapiens. It had previously been thought that the hominids were millions of years old.
A team of 20 scientists from laboratories and institutions around the world, including in South Africa and Australia, established the age of the fossils which suggests that Homo naledi may well have lived at the same time as humans. Their findings were published on Tuesday in three papers in the journal eLife.
The focus of the team's research has been South Africa's barely accessible Rising Star Cave system, part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, about 50km northwest of Johannesburg. The area has been an incredibly rich source of artefacts for palaeontologists since it was first discovered.