Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40888484›Full record

ArticleeLife2025

Evidence for deliberate burial of the dead by

Lee R Berger, Tebogo Vincent Makhubela, Keneiloe Molopyane, Ashley Krüger, Patrick Randolph-Quinney, Marina Elliott, Becca Peixotto, Agustín Fuentes, Paul Tafforeau, Vincent Beyrand and 27 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in eLife, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Brain structure and function in Homo naledi.Brain structure & function · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

37 authors.

Lee R BergerThe National Geographic Society, Washington DC, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0367-7629
Tebogo Vincent MakhubelaCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6797-8359
Keneiloe MolopyaneGeography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ashley KrügerDepartment of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.
Patrick Randolph-QuinneyCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0694-5868
Marina ElliottCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Becca PeixottoCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Agustín FuentesDepartment of Anthropology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0955-8214
Paul TafforeauEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5962-1683
Vincent BeyrandCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kathleen DollmanEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5468-4896
Zubair JinnahCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Angharad Brewer GillhamFrontiers Media Limited, London, United Kingdom.
Kenneth BroadRosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, Miami, United States.
Juliet BrophyCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Gideon ChinamatiraEvolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Paul H G M DirksCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1582-1405
Elen FeuerriegelCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Alia GurtovDepartment of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States.
Nompumelelo HlopheDepartment of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States.
Lindsay HunterCenter for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States.
Rick HunterCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kudakwashe JakataEvolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Corey JaskolskiSynthetaic, Delafield, United States.
Hannah MorrisICON & Warnell School of Forestry, University of Georgia, Athens, United States.
Ellie PryorSchool of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Maropeng MpeteCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Eric M RobertsCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Jacqueline S SmilgCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mathabela TsikoaneCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Steven TuckerCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Dirk Van RooyenCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kerryn WarrenHuman Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Colin D WrenDepartment of Anthropology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, United States.
Marc KisselDepartment of Anthropology, Appalachian State University, Boone, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4004-1996
Penny SpikinsDepartment of Archaeology, University of York; The King's Manor, York, United Kingdom.
John HawksCentre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3187-3755

Funding

The National Geographic Society Explorer at Large
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In this study, we describe new results of excavations in the Dinaledi Subsystem of the Rising Star cave system, South Africa. In two areas within the Hill Antechamber and the Dinaledi Chamber, this work uncovered concentrations of abundant

Indexed as

BurialFossilsHominidaeAnimalsGeologic SedimentsHumansSouth Africaburialevolutionary biologyHomo naledimortuary practicenone

Identifiers

PMID40888484
PMCPMC12401548

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.