skeleton

A handful of the world's great cities trace their heritage to early human settlements thousands of years back. Johannesburg's earliest residents were in the neighbourhood 3-million years ago.

Out of Africa always something new, or in this case something very old. An ancient skeleton unearthed on the Cape's West Coast has provided a new DNA variant. Researchers have found he belonged to the earliest group of humans to diverge from "Mitochondrial Eve", our common ancestor.

The Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town has become the first museum in Africa to exhibit a standing replica of the two-million-year-old Australopithecus sediba - dubbed "Karabo" - one of the most complete skeletons of an early human relative that has ever been found.

A 130-metre treetop canopy walkway, winding through the forest canopy on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and offering spectacular 360-degree views of the city and mountainside, has opened at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.

A 130-metre treetop canopy walkway, winding through the forest canopy on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and offering spectacular 360-degree views of the city and mountainside, has opened at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.

In the 19th century, Charles Darwin predicted that the origins of humankind would be traced back to Africa. With its rich fossil finds, the latest a new species called Australopithecus sebida, it seems the cradle is rightfully known as the birthplace of humanity.
• SA unearths new human ancestor

South Africa has eight World Heritage Sites, places identified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to be of "outstanding value to humanity".

The seven-million year evolution of Homo sapiens is investigated in an inspiring walking tour of Maropeng with scientist Brendon Billings. His job is “like putting together a puzzle”, giving his tour its name – Bone Detectives.
• Stargazing in Joburg: it’s possible

In the late 18th century, Francois le Vaillant travelled through South Africa, recording all that he saw. On his return to France, he created a huge map of the land and its inhabitants for his king. For the first time, that map is on public display.
• Art infects the Mother City

KZN’s Border Cave is an anthropological treasure trove which has yielded an continuous record of occupation – including the world's oldest mathematical instrument – for the last 120 000 years.
• New fox species found at Malapa