Homo naledi bones indicate they could both walk and swing through trees

Gradual specialization of limbs

Scientists recently discovered over 1,500 bones belonging to 15 individuals, ranging from babies to the elderly Homo naledi species. This species, assigned to the genus Homo, was apparently capable of walking and swinging in trees.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - It is not yet clear as to how these skeletons ended up in a remote region of a large cave in South Africa, which was discovered two years ago, but was only announced to the public last month.
In an analysis made by the University of Witwatersrand, which evaluated 107 foot bones including a well-preserved adult right foot, it was discovered that the mysterious species' feet shared similar features with a modern human foot. One of the common factors between the two is their ability to adapt to walking and standing on two feet.

Aside from being adapted to tree climbing and walking as dominant forms of movement, the mysterious species are believed to have been capable of complex tool use. 
According to the senior author of the study, Dr. Jeremy DeSilva of Dartmouth College, the "foot and the ankle are very much like those of modern humans in form, structure and probably function." 
DeSilva added, "It was a striding long-distance traveller with an arched foot and a non-grasping big toe with subtle differences from humans today in having somewhat more curved toes and a reduced arch. It looks like what the foot of Homo erectus might look like. Homo erectus is the earliest human with body proportions similar to our own with long legs, short arms." 
He also added that the Homo naledi pelvis is significantly different from modern humans. He described their pelvis as more "outward flaring," like that of the famous female Australopithecus afarensis Lucy, who was discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia. 
"This configuration moved the hip muscles away from the hip joints and gave them more leverage in walking, perhaps more of an advantage than humans have today. Over time, the architecture of the pelvis evolved and expanded to allow the birth of larger-brained babies," DeSilva explained.
As for the analysis of Homo naledi hands, the study was based on nearly 150 hand bones, including an almost complete right hand. The thumb and the wrist bones indicated they shared anatomical features with Neanderthals and humans, and the grasping ability suggested they were capable of using stone tools. 
The finger bones were more curved than nearly all other early fossil human species, which indicated Homo naledi was capable of using their hands to climb trees.
Lead author Tracey Kivell of the University of Kend said, "The tool-using features of the Homo naledi hand in combination with its small brain size has interesting implications for what cognitive requirements might be needed to make and use tools, and, depending on the age of these fossils, who might have made the stone tools that we find in South Africa."
Africa, where all human life began, probably housed several "microhabitats," allowing different kinds of adaptations to survive in their environments DeSilva said.
He continued, saying, "Humans are like every other animal on the planet. Our evolutionary history is mixed. It's a mosaic, lots of different experiments, and we just happen to be the only one left, for whatever reason."
Both Kivell and DeSilva's papers were published in Nature Communications.
The Homo naledi bones were found in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa's Gauteng Province, which is a part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. The age of the skeletons have yet to be determined but according to scientists, they could be anywhere from 20,000 and two-million-years-old. The bodies may have been disposed of deliberately, or it is possible they were caught in a catastrophic scenario. 

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