Neanderthals

Kenyan find narrows Australopithecus-Neanderthal gap, reshaping 2M years of hand evolution

Dated to about 1.5 million years ago, the bones display a long robust thumb, short fingers and a mobile little finger, hinting at tool use and precision grips beyond the genus Homo.

Australopithecus-to-Neanderthal gap narrows as Kenyan discovery.
A facial reconstruction of Homo naledi.

Older than Neanderthal rites? New papers double down on the Homo naledi burial hypothesis

Maltravieso Cave replica with Neanderthals four fingers hand-prints.

Neanderthal diversity: Iberian Neanderthals handled the dead with cave deposits, not graves

The Petralona skull.

Mystery at Petralona Cave: 286,000-year-old skull near Thessaloniki upends the human family tree


Earliest proof of Neanderthals, Homo sapiens interbreeding discovered by Israeli archaeologists

Discovered approximately 90 years ago, the fossil was reanalyzed using advanced micro-CT scanning and 3D modeling.

The skull of the child from Israel's Skhul Cave, showing the typical cranial curvature of Homo sapiens.

Neanderthals ate maggots from rotting meat, new research finds

Melanie Beasley, a researcher at Purdue University, stated, "Large quantities of larvae were available, they are easy to collect, and they are rich in nutrients."

Neanderthals ate maggots from rotting meat, new research finds. Illustration.

Neanderthal recipes: Study reveals how Neanderthals living in Northern Israel butchered their meat

These differences in butchery practices cannot be explained by tool type, skill, or available resources, indicating that cultural practices might be responsible.

 Neanderthal recipes: Study reveals how Neanderthals living in Northern Israel butchered their meat. Illustration.

Did Neanderthals have 'family recipes'? Study suggests butchery practices in ancient groups

Their meticulous examination of cut-marks on the remains of animal prey revealed patterns that cannot be explained by differences in skill, resources, or available tools at each site.

 The entrance of Kebara cave.

Neanderthals' 125,000-year-old 'grease factory' discovered at Neumark-Nord in Germany

The evidence constitutes the earliest clear case of intensive grease-rendering yet documented for the Paleolithic.

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World's oldest Neanderthal fingerprint found on 43,000-year-old pebble in Spain

Researchers suggest the pebble may represent one of the earliest human facial symbolizations in prehistory.

 World's oldest Neanderthal fingerprint found on 43,000-year-old pebble in Spain. Illustration.

Archaeologists date 80,000-year-old Neanderthal bone spearhead found in North Caucasus cave

This finding disproves the myth of Neanderthals' primitiveness: they planned complex composite tools.

 Archaeologists date 80,000-year-old Neanderthal bone spearhead found in North Caucasus cave.

Earliest symbolic burial practices found in Tinshemet Cave, Israel

Evidence suggests Neanderthals and Homo sapiens shared burial customs and symbolic behaviors.

 Earliest symbolic burial practices found in Tinshemet Cave, Israel.

Researchers precisely date Lapedo child, Neanderthal-Human hybrid

'The new date for the child is consistent with original estimates for the age of the burial, but it has changed our interpretation of the burial events themselves,' said lead author Bethan Linscott.

 Researchers precisely date Neanderthal-Human hybrid using advanced radiocarbon analysis.

Neanderthal inner ears labyrinth hold clues to their ‘bottleneck event’, a rapid decline in numbers

Drastic climatic changes likely had profound impacts on the genetic and morphological variability of the Neanderthal lineage.

 Neanderthal inner ears labyrinth hold clues to their ‘bottleneck event’, a rapid decline in numbers. Illustration.

Blood incompatibility with Homo sapiens may have led to Neanderthal extinction

If Neanderthal women mated with Homo sapiens or Denisovan men, there was a high risk of newborns having neonatal hemolytic disease.

 Blood incompatibility with Homo sapiens may have led to Neanderthal extinction.