FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In 2013, the remains of a previously unknown human ancestor — Homo naledi — were found in a cave in an area of South Africa known as the Cradle of Humankind. Lucas Delezene, Arkansas native and assistant professor of anthropology at the U of A, was picked to lead the dental team.

Delezene calls the opportunity, "a dream to be able to work on a pile of fossils that have never been studied before."

Delezene, a biological anthropologist and expert in hominid dental anatomy, now leads an international team of experts studying the dental anatomy of the new species to find clues to its life, diet and the ancient environment in which it lived.

The U of A is a leader in biological anthropology as it relates to teeth, jaw and skull evolution. Delezene is continuing that legacy by bringing lessons learned in his research on Homo naledi into the classroom and bringing his students into his lab.