Cave women unearth skull of unknown human ancestor [View all]
An all-woman team of spelunking scientists has retrieved hundreds of fossils from a 100-foot-deep (30-meter-deep) cave in South Africa — including the cranium from what appears to be a prehistoric humanlike creature.
Friday's retrieval of the skull was a climactic moment for the three-week expedition to the Rising Star Cave in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, just 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Johannesburg.
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The call went out for scientists to join the expedition. Some of the top experts in paleoanthropology, such as the University of Wisconsin's John Hawks and Duke University's Steven Churchill, joined the team. But the scientists tapped to go into the cave and bring up the fossils were required to have an almost superhuman combination of talents.
They had to have a master's degree or Ph.D. in paleontology, archaeology or an associated field. They had to be experienced cavers. And they had to be able to fit through a 7-inch-wide (18-centimeter-wide) choke point in the passage leading to the chamber. Fifty-seven qualified researchers applied for the job. Six were chosen: Lindsay Eaves, Marina Elliott, Elen Feuerriegel, Alia Gurtov, Hannah Morris and Becca Peixotto.
"It ended up that the most qualified human beings on this planet to do this very dangerous, very remarkable job were young women," Berger said in a video profile of the "underground astronauts."
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/cave-women-unearth-skull-unknown-human-ancestor-2D11603661
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