Homo Naledi Complete Skull Reconstruction

thingiverse

Homo Naledi, an extinct early human ancestor named after its discovery by the Rising Star expedition team near Johannesburg, South Africa, has left paleoanthropology and archaeology communities stunned with its groundbreaking find. As is standard scientific protocol, they've published scanned specimens of their remarkable discovery on http://www.Morphosource.org for all to explore and participate in this extraordinary breakthrough. The original publication of this find can be accessed here:http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e09560 Those who cannot access the original scans will be pleased to know that I've reconstructed the skull, combining fragments from specimens DH3 and DH4 to create a replica found on http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1042872. In addition, I've also reconstructed the upper maxilla to match the published mandible and mirrored zygomatic fragments. With these four files, I printed as much of the skull as possible, approximating the rest based on skeletal landmarks from other early hominids. The complete skull replication was finished with sculpted clay. Enjoy this incredible discovery and thank the exceptional scientists who made this kind of reproduction possible! All specimens and original scans are attributed to the original authors. Scanned using a NextEngine Scanner. For more information about this reconstruction: Digital reconstructions were done by Darryl R. Ricketts, M.S., Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Indiana University South Bend, email: drricket@iusb.edu Sculpting was done by Susan M. Ward, Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts, Indiana University South Bend, email: susmward@iusb.edu. Please attribute accordingly. I am a forensic anthropologist not affiliated with this project or the Rising Star team. I teach anthropology and specialize in fetal osteology and 3D reconstruction. Please post a photo to share if you print this design, and check out my other scans of skulls and bones at http://www.thingiverse.com/dricketts/designs. Don't forget to "Like" my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FetalReproductions to subscribe to my current prints/blogs, and visit my Etsy page at http://Etsy.com/FetalReproductions for baby fetal scans, skulls, and other items to own.