From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.

Sashnee Moodley:

It has been 68 years since the world famous Mrs Ples was discovered in South Africa in 1947 by paleontologist Dr Robert Broom in Sterkfontein, Gauteng. Now, new research is trying to prove that Mrs Ples was actually male. Anine Vermeulen has the story.

Anine Vermeulen:
New research, primarily conducted by palaeontologists José Braga and Francis Thackeray, is attempting to prove that Mrs Ples is actually Mr Ples. The duo has been working closely with Necsa to determine what they believe is the actual gender of the fossil.

Palaeontologist Francis Thackeray:

Anine Vermeulen:
Thackeray points out that It is is clear from CT scans that the individual was an adolescent at the time of death and although CT scans have been undertaken in the past, they never had the high resolution that is currently feasible.

He notes that previous CT images were recorded with slice-thicknesses of one or two millimetres, but new scanners allow for submillimetre resolution and techniques for analysis are improving rapidly.

He adds that the most recent scans, analysed at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France, are based on applications of technology of the kind that is also used to analyse images obtained from satellites in space.

The latest imagery, Thackeray notes, shows asymmetry on the left side of the brain of Mrs Ples. This implies that the australopithecine was probably right-handed, since it is the left side of the brain that controls functions of the right side of the body.

He adds that he has also studied the canine sockets of the skull, which have further contributed to his findings.

Palaeontologist Francis Thackeray:

Anine Vermeulen:
Jose Braga says that there have been questions around the gender for a while and measurements are indicative of it being male.

Palaeontologist Jose Braga:

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.