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🇮🇱 Israel /Culture & Society

Neanderthal children grew faster than modern humans, study finds

From Jerusalem Post · (15m ago) English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A new study analyzing the remains of a Neanderthal infant named Amud 7 suggests Neanderthal children developed at a faster rate than modern humans.
  • Researchers found discrepancies between Amud 7's apparent age based on bone size and its dental age, indicating accelerated body growth relative to tooth development.
  • This accelerated growth may have been an evolutionary strategy to help Neanderthals adapt to harsh environments.

A fascinating study published in Current Biology sheds new light on Neanderthal development, revealing that their children grew at a significantly faster pace than modern humans. Analyzing the remarkably complete remains of a Neanderthal infant, dubbed Amud 7, discovered in Israel's Amud Cave, researchers noted a striking difference between the infant's skeletal size and its dental age. While the bones suggested an age of around 13.7 months, tooth histology indicated the child was closer to six months old. This suggests that Neanderthal bodies grew to a size typically seen in children twice their dental age.

Neanderthal children developed at a much faster pace than modern humans, possibly as a way to adjust to the harsh environment of their surroundings, according to a recent study published in Current Biology.

— Study authorsExplaining the core finding of the research.

This accelerated growth pattern, particularly in the early years of life, is theorized to be an evolutionary adaptation to the challenging environments Neanderthals inhabited. While initial tooth development and eruption were similar to modern humans, Neanderthal infants exhibited larger skulls and faster body growth during toddlerhood. This divergence in growth trajectories highlights the unique evolutionary path of Neanderthals, who began diverging from Homo sapiens around 600,000 years ago.

Meaning, that Amud 7's body had grown to a size typically seen in a child roughly twice its dental age.

— ResearchersDescribing the discrepancy found in Amud 7's remains.

The findings, based on remains dating back 51,000 to 56,000 years ago, offer a rare glimpse into the developmental strategies of our ancient relatives. The study underscores the complex evolutionary pressures that shaped Neanderthal life, suggesting that rapid development might have conferred a survival advantage in their world. This research, building on previous discoveries like the oldest Neanderthal fingerprint found in Spain, continues to deepen our understanding of human evolution and the diverse paths our ancestors took.

This suggests an evolutionary strategy emphasizing accelerated development in the early years of life, likely advantageous in

— Study authorsProposing a reason for the observed accelerated growth.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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