Pretoria, South Africa – (African Boulevard News) – In what is being hailed as a groundbreaking discovery in the scientific community, South African paleontologist, Lee Berger, has announced the unearthing of an entirely new species that has been extinct for thousands of years. The species, which he has named Homo symbolensis, used symbols to mark their tombs.
Berger, who is renowned for discovering the Homo naledi species in 2013, made the announcement at a press conference in Pretoria yesterday, stating that this latest discovery could potentially revolutionize the way we look at our own evolution as a species.
“Homo symbolensis is a gamechanger,” Berger said. “This is a species that had the ability to communicate through symbols, something we previously thought only modern humans could do. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities for research into our own past and how we evolved to become the species we are today.”
The discovery was made in a cave complex in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site, northwest of Johannesburg, where Berger has been conducting research for several years. The cave complex, known as the Rising Star Cave, has already yielded several important discoveries, including the Homo naledi species, which was also found by Berger and his team.
Berger explained that the tomb markings found in the cave are similar to those found in ancient Egyptian tombs and indicate a level of sophistication that was previously unknown in extinct species.
“This is a species that lived around 250,000 years ago, and yet they had the ability to mark their tombs with symbols, indicating a level of cognitive development that was previously unheard of,” Berger said.
The discovery has already garnered excitement among other scientists in the field, with many calling it a “gamechanger” and a “once-in-a-lifetime discovery.”
Professor Francisco Estevez, a paleontologist at the University of Cape Town, said, “This discovery is truly remarkable. It will change everything we thought we knew about extinct species and their cognitive abilities. We are only scratching the surface of what we can learn from the Homo symbolensis species.”
Berger and his team plan to continue their research at the Rising Star cave complex, with the hope of unearthing even more groundbreaking discoveries.
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “We have only scratched the surface of what this site has to offer, and I have no doubt that there are more exciting discoveries to come.”
The discovery of Homo symbolensis is a significant breakthrough in paleontology that could potentially change the way we think about our own evolution. With Berger and his team continuing their research, there is no telling what other groundbreaking discoveries lie ahead in the Cradle of Humankind.
