If Ross from FRIENDS was here right now, he would probably be in heaven. After the news broke of the discovery and recovery of the new species Homo Naledi, everyone got a little excited. If it wasn’t with jokes on Twitter it was cool discussions on Carte Blanche. But I think something we should be very proud of is that six women scientists found Homo Naledi.
According to to amightygirl.com Marina Elliot, one of the scientists, said that their collection and removal involved some of the most difficult and dangerous conditions ever encountered in the search of human origins. According to EWN the fossils were found in the Dinaledi Chamber at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in Maropeng in Gauteng, South Africa.
Getting to Homo Naledi was no easy task. Think 36 foot narrow drops. Palaeoanthropologist Lee Berger actually nicknamed the all female team “underground astronauts” because of the tough conditions they had to face for 21 days while they excavated the fossils.
I’ve seen a few negative posts on Facebook from other women about how it shouldn’t matter that this was an all female team or that we need to stop pointing it out and making a big song and dance about it… but women are so often under-represented in the STEM fields that it is extremely exciting when we see a group of them doing ground breaking work and writing their names in to the history books. Tech Girl applauds you Marina Elliott from Canada, Elen Feuerriegel from Australia, and K. Lindsay Eaves, Alia Gurtov, Hannah Morris, and Becca Peixotto from the United States.
Is it too late to become a archaeologist? Seriously? Thanks to the dedication and passion of these six women, people everywhere will have the opportunity to gain new insight into the development of our species and learn more about Homo Naledi.
