Marina is one of the six female archeologists who helped uncover Homo naledi, a recently discovered species of hominin found buried deep within a cave system in South Africa. She not only brings us along on the physical journey through the cave's narrow passages, but also explains the implications of this discovery, which has pushed the boundaries on traditional archeological practices and on our understanding of what it means to be human.

Originally from Calgary, Canada, Marina Elliott is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Wits - University of the Witwatersrand. Marina did her Masters of Arts and PhD in biological anthropology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. During her academic journey, Marina excavated at Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, and in Barrow, Alaska, one of the northernmost points on the North American continent. She also conducted forensic anthropological casework for the British Columbia Coroners Service and was a Visiting Scientist for the New York Medical Examiner's Office. Along with five other researchers, Marina’s work on the Rising Star Expedition was featured on the cover of the October 2015 issue of National Geographic magazine and was the subject of a 2-hour PBS Nova special that aired in North America on September 16, 2016. She was recently made a Fellow of the Explorers Club.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx