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Discovered deep in the Rising Star Cave in South Africa in September 2013, Homo naledi is one of the newest members of the human family. The site has yielded one of the largest assemblages of fossil hominins in the world, notable for the unprecedented quality and completeness of the remains. In addition, the context of the deposit is unusual, suggesting that Homo naledi may have been engaging in complex behaviours previously assumed to have been practiced only by modern humans. Dr Marina Elliott was one of the original excavators this remarkable find. Since then, she has led the excavations at Rising Star and continued to conduct research on Homo naledi. In this lecture, Dr. Elliott will share her experience of the Rising Star Expedition and describe what the research to date has learned about the biology and behaviour of this fascinating new spe Originally from Calgary, Canada, Dr. Marina Elliott is a biological anthropologist, interested in the Human Journey – how, why and when humans became who we are today. She holds a PhD in biological anthropology and archaeology from SFU and has excavated ancient human remains in Western Canada, the USA, Spain, Africa and Siberia. She has also assisted with modern forensic investigations in Canada, the USA and Switzerland and was a visiting scientist intern at the Office of the New York Medical Examiner in New York. In 2013 she became one of six “Underground Astronauts” on the Rising Star Expedition, which led to the naming of a new hominin species, Homo naledi. From 2014-2019 Marina led further excavations at the Rising Star site and conducted research on Homo naledi and other early hominins. Returning to Canada in 2020, Marina is back with SFU, working with Mark Collard and continuing to investigate our collective past. She is a Fellow of the Explorers Club and a National Geographic Explorer.