#Neanderthals

All articles tagged with "Neanderthals"

Evidence of Neanderthal Dentistry Pushes Tooth Treatment Back 59,000 Years

Researchers studying a 59,000-year-old Neanderthal molar from Siberia say the tooth shows deliberate drilling to treat decay, potentially extending the earliest evidence of dentistry by about 45,000 years.

Key Takeaways

A Siberian Neanderthal molar dated to 59,000 years ago shows signs of deliberate drilling.
Researchers identified repeated boring with a pointed stone tool into a decayed cavity.

DT Editorial Team·May 14, 2026·via newscientist.com

A challenge to the ‘inner Neanderthal’ story is reopening old assumptions in human evolution

A fresh critique of a foundational idea in human genetics argues that population structure in ancient Homo sapiens may explain key DNA patterns without requiring the standard interbreeding narrative.

Key Takeaways

Researchers challenged a key assumption behind the common interpretation of Neanderthal ancestry.
Their alternative explanation emphasizes population structure in ancient Homo sapiens populations in Africa.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 14, 2026·via technologyreview.com

Tinshemet Cave Suggests Neanderthals and Homo sapiens Shared More Than Territory

Research from central Israel argues that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in the mid-Middle Paleolithic Levant did not just coexist but directly influenced one another’s technologies, lifestyles, and burial practices.

Key Takeaways

Researchers say Tinshemet Cave shows Neanderthals and Homo sapiens directly interacted.
The study links those interactions to shared tools, lifestyles, burial customs, and ochre use.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 13, 2026·via sciencedaily.com