Any chance of some DNA with the new discovery?

Ignoramus: A series of men and a few women have turned a quite interesting hobby into a well-paying career, "Baby hominid found at Cradle"(April 11).

This is partly because their "field of study" has gripped the imagination of the public, who have been persuaded that they probably descend from creatures who existed millions of years ago. Some that seem to have been human are called "Homo".

Some years ago, someone found a new creature. This discovery was kept a secret until last week and then unveiled with great fanfare. The celebrities, the experts, the fancy glass box lined with velvet - all to expose the poor creature's few remains.

To what purpose, one wonders? And who pays for it all? The overburdened taxpayer who is trying to feed and house his struggling brothers and sisters?

That whole department at the University of the Witwatersrand - from the top staff to the cleaning and maintenance of the buildings - should be sponsored by countries and foreign businesses that can afford it.

Does Professor Lee Berger give a thought to health matters when he takes his son fossicking? There was a serious disease still alive in the pyramids after centuries, and coffins of whatever age are opened with great circumspection.

Who is to say for certain that fossils are safe?

If the creatures called "Homo" are believed to be human, why are their remains kept on shelves instead of being decently buried, in the same way as Saartjie Baartman?

It would create real excitement if they could find a little DNA somewhere and bring (renowned geneticists) Professor Bryan Sykes or Professor Himla Soodyall in to show whether these creatures are ancestors or not.