The scientific community has found itself dealing with a bit of controversy after a Virgin Galactic mission, facilitated by South African-born billionaire Timothy Nash, carried fragments of ancient human ancestor remains on a voyage to the edge of space.
These remains - a collarbone of 2-million-year-old A. sediba and a thumb bone from H. naledi -were selected by Lee Berger, an explorer instrumental in their discovery and a director of the Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
"The journey of these fossils into space represents humankind’s appreciation of the contribution of all of humanity’s ancestors... Without their invention of technologies such as fire and tools... their contribution to the evolution of the... human mind, such extraordinary endeavors as spaceflight would not have happened," Berger said.
Critics argue that the mission lacked scientific justification, posing a risk of irreparable damage to these priceless specimens in the event of a malfunction. The permit application for the mission was approved by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), primarily aimed to promote South African human origins research globally, rather than address scientific inquiries.
The ethical concerns surrounding this voyage are substantial, with some scientists categorizing the fossils as paleontological, rather than human, remains to circumvent ethical and legal constraints. The debate underscores the ongoing discussion about defining who we consider "human."
A screenshot of X-tread on 'Why does sending hominin specimens into space raise so much indignation?'
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Despite South Africa's right to manage its national estate, the controversial space journey has raised questions about the potential wider consequences and risks posed to archaeological heritage.
Additionally, the expedition has exposed issues of entitlement and privilege, as it was orchestrated by individuals with substantial resources and access that most paleoanthropological researchers lack.
The lack of transparency regarding the mission's objectives, risks and benefits has fueled the controversy. Many researchers have expressed concerns about the future care of these fossils, considering their unorthodox use in space travel.
"Space archaeologists like me are definitely interested in the effect of the space environment on items in space," he said, "but I don't think we'd use a piece of heritage from here on Earth as a test article to see what happens to it," Justin Walsh, a professor of art and archaeology at Chapman University in California. told US science media.