A new study of a Neanderthal fetal fossil from Germany suggests that Neanderthals shared a skeletal development pattern with modern human babies before birth, with key differences emerging after birth. Scientists used non-destructive imaging to analyze tiny bone fragments.
Archaeologists experimented with rhino teeth to see if Neanderthals used them as tools. The study found markings on ancient rhino teeth at archaeological sites similar to those made by using them as hammers for stone tool production, suggesting Neanderthals incorporated them into their toolkits.
Neanderthals performed a root canal on a molar tooth 60,000 years ago, the oldest known example of invasive dental treatment, predating Homo sapiens' earliest known dentistry by tens of thousands of years.
A 59,000-year-old Neanderthal tooth found in Siberia shows evidence of intentional drilling to relieve a tooth infection, indicating sophisticated medical intervention.
Researchers discover a 59,000-year-old Neanderthal molar with evidence of an ancient invasive dental procedure, resembling a root canal, in Chagyrskaya Cave, Siberia.
A new study comparing MRI scans of 400 modern human brains with Neanderthal endocasts reveals that brain size variation among living humans exceeds differences between Neanderthals and ancient Homo sapiens. The findings challenge previous assumptions that Neanderthals were cognitively inferior, with researchers concluding that brain size is a poor predictor of intelligence and Neanderthal cognitive abilities likely matched our own.
Researchers have reconstructed what appears to be the oldest Neanderthal population in Central-Eastern Europe using DNA from a tooth found in Stajnia Cave, Poland. The mitochondrial DNA analysis, published in Scientific Reports, reveals genetic connections between Neanderthals in Central Europe and the Caucasus region, proving these ancient humans migrated and maintained contact across large territories rather than living in isolated communities.
A partial human frontal bone discovered in Hahnöfersand, Germany in 1973 was initially classified as a possible Neanderthal-Homo sapiens hybrid due to its unusual morphology. Early radiocarbon dating placed the specimen at around 36,000 years old, overlapping with known Neanderthal-modern human contact. However, refined dating methods later dated the bone to approximately 7,500 years ago, when Neanderthals had been extinct for millennia. Three-dimensional comparative analysis confirmed the specimen falls entirely within modern human variation, not as a hybrid but as normal diversity within Homo sapiens populations during the Mesolithic period.
Research on a Neanderthal infant skeleton from Amud Cave in Israel dated to 51,000-56,000 years ago reveals the baby was physically comparable to a modern human toddler at 13-14 months despite being only 5.5 months old at death. The study published in Current Biology suggests Neanderthals followed a rapid early growth pattern, developing strength and size faster than Homo sapiens as a possible survival adaptation to harsh Ice Age environments. The skeleton is one of the most complete Neanderthal infant remains ever found, with around 111 bone fragments.
