Growing Up Neanderthal

The remains of a Neanderthal boy who died 49,000 years ago is revealing information about the skeletal and physiological growth of our distant cousins. (Credit: Paleoanthropology Group MNCN-CSIC) Though his life was short — he never reached the age of 8 — his fossil remains could have far-reaching influence in hominin research. A paper to be published Friday in Science reveals the discovery of the well-preserved skeleton of a Neanderthal boy who lived in Spain 49,000 years ago. The researchers discuss the fits and starts of adolescent growth for our biological cousins, leading to insights into the evolutionary development of Homo sapiens. Dental evidence reveals that the boy was about seven and a half years old. His brain was 87 percent the size of a Neanderthal adult’s. At that same age, modern humans have a brain that is 95 percent the size of a human adult’s, indicating that the Neanderthal ...