--- ---  # Humanity's Ancient Relative Is Much Younger Than Previously Thought 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. However, the species’ brain is much smaller than humans’, suggesting the creatures were more primitive. Homo Naledi Younger Than Previously Thought, Research Says ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4772208/homo-naledi-bones-humans-earth/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4772208/homo-naledi-bones-humans-earth/"},"headline":"Humanity's Ancient Relative Is Much Younger Than Previously Thought","datePublished":"2017-05-09T15:06:38.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T08:23:22.000Z","description":"The Homo naledi species may have roamed the earth at the same time as humans","url":"https://time.com/4772208/homo-naledi-bones-humans-earth/","keywords":["fossils","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf93c402125fb004f/6988cc892dce0110779ed66a/gettyimages-487710468.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Samuelson","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf93c402125fb004f/6988cc892dce0110779ed66a/gettyimages-487710468.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Homo Naledi, New Species, Unveiled in South Africa","caption":"Homo Naledi, New Species, Unveiled in South Africa","creditText":"Denzil Maregele/Foto24—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/fossils/","name":"fossils"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4772208/homo-naledi-bones-humans-earth/","name":"Humanity's Ancient Relative Is Much Younger Than Previously Thought"}}]}] ```