Overview
- Lee Berger and colleagues published a peer-reviewed analysis contending that deliberate placement best explains Homo naledi remains found in hard-to-reach chambers near Johannesburg.
- The team reports that bodies were rapidly encased in sediment in at least three locations, which they say rules out transport by water, gravity, or slow accumulation.
- Newly detailed clusters in the Dinaledi Subsystem and Hill Antechamber include about 90 skeletal elements and 51 teeth, with articulated parts such as a nearly complete foot and a partial hand suggesting intact bodies.
- Sediment and spatial evidence cited by the authors indicate dry-cave conditions, uphill access routes, and an absence of carnivore activity, which they argue conflict with natural-process explanations.
- Many researchers remain unconvinced, referencing alternatives like shaft falls or sediment movement and a 2024 review that found the earlier burial claims insufficient, leaving the field awaiting further independent evaluation.