An international research team has conducted the first analysis of ancient proteins from Homo naledi, an extinct human relative that was discovered in the Rising Star cave system at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa. The study was led by Palesa Madupe, a molecular scientist and the study's lead author, and Enrico Cappellini, a professor of palaeoproteomics and the study's senior author. The team collaborated with researchers from the National Geographic Society’s Rising Star project and its partner institutions. Led by paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, the Rising Star project first brought Homo naledi to global attention following the discovery and description of fossils in a cave system.