chris dee

H. naledi is an important find – a new species and some tantalizing behavioral possibilities, but the goofiness of the "scientists" in this “documentary” is appalling. Their giddy conjecture and speculation that H. naledi was a spiritual hominin, that this “changes everything” is cringey. These aren’t academics, they’re whackademics. Before even entering the Dinaledi cave system, one of the doofus scientists in this back-patting group-hug describes his first impression as “emotional.” They’re all so hot to conclude that H. naledi believed in the afterlife before finding absolute evidence of it. They're all in a hot rush to tell the audience that this hominin was spiritual before scientifically removing ALL other possibilities for the bodies to be where they are, and there are other possibilities. Where’s the scientific distance, the level-headedness? Even their cutesy sobriquet as “underground astronauts” seems at best naïve and at worst embarrassing. Wouldn’t “spelunkonauts” have been more…academic and in keeping with their academic background? Real academics are still examining and studying, and not a single dissenter was interviewed in this baloney - all you get is this team smelling its own farts. This is mass-media “science” where conclusions are drawn for the audience. It’s infotainment and representative of how dumbed-down everything has become. You can learn more in a 10 minute read of the Wikipedia page.