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On 15 August 2008, nine-year-old Matthew Berger found a fossil at Malapa in South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind. It was the right collarbone of a juvenile later identified as MH1, one of the first two partial skeletons assigned to Australopithecus sediba. Scientists announced the previously undescribed species in 2010. Its blend of features drew comparisons with early Homo, but it has not been established as a direct human ancestor.
What did Matthew Berger find?
The first hominin fossil Matthew Berger found was a right clavicle—the collarbone—belonging to MH1. The Smithsonian identifies MH1 as a juvenile australopithecine who was about 12–13 years old at death. The South African government’s account says Matthew was nine when he made the find on 15 August 2008; his father, paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, had located Malapa during a systematic survey of the region. (Smithsonian: MH1; South African Government)
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The discovery prompted further excavation. Researchers recovered two partial skeletons, designated MH1 and MH2—not complete skeletons—from the fossil site. The government account describes MH2 as an adult female who died at about the same time as the juvenile. A contemporary commentary noted that MH2 preserves fewer bones and lacks a cranium. (South African Government; South African Journal of Science commentary)
Where is Malapa, and how old are the fossils?
Malapa lies in South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind region. The 2010 paper describing the species reported an age range of 1.95–1.78 million years for the two partial skeletons. This is the estimated age of the fossil-bearing material; it does not establish the full span of time that A. sediba existed. (Berger et al., 2010, abstract indexed by PubMed; Smithsonian: MH1)
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What is Australopithecus sediba?
Australopithecus sediba is the name researchers gave the species represented by the Malapa fossils. Lee Berger and coauthors formally described it in a paper published in Science on 9 April 2010. They considered it probably descended from Australopithecus africanus. (Berger et al., 2010)
Why did its anatomy attract attention?
The fossils preserve a combination of traits rather than a uniformly human-like body. Smithsonian’s overview describes long upper limbs and small cranial capacity, alongside aspects of the skull, teeth and pelvis that are more derived and have been compared with Homo. Its foot also shows an unusual pattern: it turned inward, with weight borne along the outer edge during a step. Those features make the fossils valuable for comparison, but no single trait makes A. sediba a human or proves it was an ancestor.
The original describers argued that, among australopith species then known, A. sediba shared more derived features with early Homo than any other. They suggested it might help reveal the ancestry of Homo. But the paper itself cautioned that “the ancestry of Homo and its relation to earlier australopithecines remain unresolved.” (Berger et al., 2010)
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That remains unresolved. The Smithsonian notes that fossils assigned to Homo predate or overlap with A. sediba, and researchers disagree about where the species belongs. The possibilities include a close relative of the population ancestral to Homo, a separate branch, or a different taxonomic interpretation. Its mix of anatomy supports comparison with early Homo; it does not settle the family tree. (Smithsonian: Australopithecus sediba)
How did researchers study fossils still hidden in rock?
After the initial discovery, researchers also used CT imaging on fossil-bearing blocks from Malapa to look for remains concealed inside rock before preparation. The South African government reported that this approach revealed material not visible on the blocks’ surfaces and could help reduce accidental damage and missed finds. This was later site work, not the method by which Matthew found the first fossil. (South African Government)
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