--- title: Homo Naledi Younger Than Previously Thought, Research Says description: Fossils of Homo naledi have revealed that they roamed earth at the same time as the earliest members of the human race, scientists say. canonical: https://time.com/4772208/homo-naledi-bones-humans-earth/ author: Kate Samuelson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-09T15:06:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T08:23:22.000Z article:section: Science og:title: Humanity's Ancient Relative Is Much Younger Than Previously Thought og:description: The Homo naledi species may have roamed the earth at the same time as humans og:url: https://time.com/4772208/homo-naledi-bones-humans-earth/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf93c402125fb004f/6988cc892dce0110779ed66a/gettyimages-487710468.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4928 og:image:height: 2772 og:image:alt: Homo Naledi, New Species, Unveiled in South Africa og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Humanity's Ancient Relative Is Much Younger Than Previously Thought twitter:description: The Homo naledi species may have roamed the earth at the same time as humans twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf93c402125fb004f/6988cc892dce0110779ed66a/gettyimages-487710468.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Humanity's Ancient Relative Is Much Younger Than Previously Thought > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:23 AM UTCPublished: May 9, 2017 3:06 PM UTC  The discovery of a new species of human relative, Homo Naledia was unveiled at The Cradle of Human Kind on September 10, 2015 at Maropeng in Johannesburg, South Africa. The discovery of a new species of human relative, Homo Naledia was unveiled at The Cradle of Human Kind on September 10, 2015 at Maropeng in Johannesburg, South Africa. Denzil Maregele/Foto24—Getty Images by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:23 AM UTCPublished: May 9, 2017 3:06 PM UTC Fossils of [Homo naledi](http://time.com/4029312/how-human-is-homo-naledi/) — a small-brained ancient relative of the human species discovered in a [South Africa cave system](http://time.com/4038094/homo-naledi/) two years ago — have revealed that they roamed earth at the same time as the earliest members of the human race, scientists say. Research published in the journal [eLife](https://elife.elifesciences.org/content/6/e24231) says that when the skeletons were first discovered, scientists thought they could be as ancient as 2.5 million years old. However, the team is now reporting that the fossils are actually between 236,000 and 335,000 years old — which would mean the species existed at the same time as the earliest humans evolved. “These new findings demonstrate why it can be unwise to try to predict the age of a fossil based only on its appearance, and emphasize the importance of dating specimens via independent tests,” their report says. The Homo naledi fossils revealed human-like feet and curved hands with opposable thumbs, much like our own. 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