What homo naledi teaches us about being human | Juliet Brophy | TEDxLSU

In 2015, Juliet Brophy and her fellow researchers named a new species in the genus Homo. This discovery disrupted all of the preconceived ideas of the human evolutionary pattern and forced scientists to re-ask the questions, “Who are we?” and “Where did we come from?” In this inquisitive talk, learn about the discovery of Homo naledi and why it has scientists’ wheels turning. LSU Geography and Anthropology Assistant Professor Juliet Brophy peers back in time for new insights into the origins of humanity. A paleoanthropologist who specializes in the study of teeth, Juliet has been involved in excavations at several fossil localities in South Africa since 2003 and previously served as the Director of Bovid Studies at the Evolutionary Studies Institute (https://www.wits.ac.za/esi/) at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She played a lead role in a 2015 effort at the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star Cave (http://ewn.co.za/Features/Naledi/Risi...) near Johannesburg, South Africa, that turned up homo naledi, a human-like species that lived alongside the first modern humans. Her work included the “tooth booth,” an international collaboration of scientists who studied teeth that are tens of thousands of years old. Currently, Juliet is working on developing an open-access database that examines similarities between the teeth of early human species to other hominins, comparisons she believes can answer some of the most pressing questions about the fascinating evolution of the human animal on our planet. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx