naledi
Homo naledi's burial practices could change what it means to be human
From a young age, the inevitability and finality of death becomes a shaping force in our lives. Indeed, it could be said that our ability to recognise our eventual demise and the grief that comes with losing those close to us are core elements of what it means to be human. They have also led to symbolic practices that have deep roots in human culture. We have long assumed that Homo sapiens was the only human species to have gained an awareness of the mortality of living things. But as we report in "What were ancient humans thinking when they began to bury their dead?",