MAGALIESBURG, South Africa (AP) – Jagged rocks hooked into Steven Tucker’s overalls as he squeezed through a crack deep in a subterranean cave. Upon emerging at the other end, he saw he was in a chamber with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Then his headlamp shone onto a bone. Then more bones, and half of a skull.
It was the night of Sept. 13, 2013, and Tucker and his caving partner had just discovered the remains of what scientists would later determine to be a new member of the human family tree. The announcement of the discovery was made by scientists on Thursday, with Tucker looking on.
Tucker was only trying to get out of fellow caver Rick Hunter’s way, inching to the side, on a different intended route when he stepped into the crack in the network of caves known as Rising Star. He’d heard of the crack before, but despite having been down this cave more than 20 times before, he had never noticed it, nor known of any other caver who had ventured down it.
He shone his headlamp down the dark crevice, and couldn’t see where it ended. He knew of at least one other caver who also stared down the crack, and decided it was too dangerous. He began to lower himself, feet-first, into the narrow vertical opening.
“It’s exciting to find something new,” Tucker, now 27, told The Associated Press on Thursday, trying to explain why he took the risk.