Researchers in Australia have traced as many as 15 partial skeletons of a species, which they claimed, that looked similar to humans. The skeletons were found in a burial chamber in South Africa.

The species have been given the name Homo Naledi. These were spotted by a team of scientists who travelled hundred metres and braved a 20-centimetre gap to enter a dark, dingy narrow passage.

Amid the team members were two scientists from Australia's James Cook University. They were Professor Paul Dirks and Dr Eric Roberts. The researchers claimed that the skeletons were not transported to the area through natural catastrophic events like flood.

An analysis of the skeletal remains revealed that that they had a human-like face, their feet and hands also resembled with that of ancient humans.

“It is a mixture of primitive features and evolved features. It shows there were different species of hominids alive at different times that combined all sorts of different features. The findings are a goldmine,” said Dr Robert.

He added that further studies could unveil the history of human evolution with a new perspective. The project is being handled primarily by University of Witwatersrand.

The findings were published in journal E-Life. The researchers, led by Lee Berger, stated that the skeleton’s skull was also similar to that of humans.

The fossil remains collected by the scientists include 1,400 bones and 140 teeth that appeared to be atleast 3 million years old. These were recovered in a single visit to the site and added to curiosity of the researchers.