Revisiting Theories of Human Evolution: Insights from Ancient Burial Practices and Ape-Sized Brains.

New research suggests that Homo naledi, a small-brained hominin species that lived around the time of the first humans, buried their dead in graves, lit fires to illuminate their way down the cave, and marked the graves with engravings on the walls. The discovery challenges the assumption that big brains are essential for complex thinking and suggests that Homo naledi may have had some form of language. However, some experts on ancient engravings and burials are skeptical of the evidence and suggest that the charcoal and engravings found in the cave might have been left by modern humans who entered long after Homo naledi became extinct.