June
27
/ 2024
An anatomical study of a piece of a Neanderthal child’s skull showed that this young person had been born with severe health challenges, of a type commonly associated with Down’s syndrome. Yet somehow this child survived to at least the age of six and likely somewhat longer than that, despite the perils and the challenges he or she would have faced. For this to be possible the child would have needed regular care and attention, even beyond what the child’s mother would have been able to provide. According to the scientists involved in this new study, their discovery helps confirm the theory that Neanderthals were not only capable of empathy and compassion, but demonstrated these emotions in real-life circumstances. Signature
