somewhere else in the cave system entirely. Although these caves are incredible sources for finding fossils, understanding how those fossils appear in their present locations—to be discovered and excavated by modern scientists—is anything but straightforward.

Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images

Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images

Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images

From caves to Facebook and Twitter

In August 2013, Professor Lee Berger of the University of Witwatersrand hired Pedro Boshoff to survey caves in the Cradle of Humankind, mapping which had fossil deposits. Boshoff, a caving specialist, expanded his team to include Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker. Cavers had been in the Rising Star system since the 1970s, and, armed with a map from 1985 as a guide, Tucker and Hunter began systematically exploring.

“I started out in the Rising Starof the fossils, his interest was piqued, to say the least.

From the photos, Berger could see that there was fresh damage to the bones, likely from other cavers who were unaware of what they were treading upon. After consulting with colleagues, Berger decided that it was prudent—necessary—to excavate the fossils, properly map their contexts, and to do it quickly to avoid any further damage. Getting proper permits in place and with the backing of National Geographic, Berger began to assemble a team that would have the requisite scientific and caving background necessary to pull off the work. He started by writing a job ad.

“Should I just mail this to my colleagues and ask them to distribute in the normal way?” Berger wrote in his 2016 bestseller about the