A society of an extinct human species may have been “ahead of its time” compared to us in certain fields, such as healthcare.
A research team led by anthropologist Mercedes Conde-Valverde from the University of Alcala (Spain) reanalyzed a fossil sample of another human species coded CN-46700, excavated from the Cova Negra cave since 1989.
CN-46700 consists of the remains of a Neanderthal child, dating back approximately 273,000 to 146,000 years ago, during the time this ancient human species inhabited the area.
Cova Negra Cave, where ancient Neanderthals once lived – (Photo: CNN).
The researchers used micro-CT scans to create a 3D model of the original fossil for analysis.
They identified signs of health issues, including a smaller cochlea, with abnormalities that could cause hearing loss and severe dizziness. “The only syndrome compatible with all the deformities found in CN-46700 is Down syndrome,” Dr. Conde-Valverde stated.
Down syndrome is not only present in humans but also in other ancient and modern hominid species.
However, what is shocking about this discovery is that this child was 6 years old at the time of death.
According to Science Alert, previous archaeological evidence indicated that children with Down syndrome in the Iron Age rarely survived past 16 months of age.
By 1900, medical advancements and healthcare systems had helped individuals with Down syndrome achieve an average lifespan of 9 years.
Today, after numerous advances in medicine and social models, individuals with this condition can even live nearly as long as healthy individuals.
Thus, the fact that a child with Down syndrome hundreds of thousands of years ago could live longer than children with the same condition during the Iron Age and almost as long as children in the early 20th century is almost unbelievable.
Down syndrome is often associated with impairments affecting growth, physical and cognitive development, and motor skills.
Children with this syndrome typically experience delays in walking and speaking, balance and coordination issues increase the risk of falls, and difficulty breastfeeding due to weak muscle tone.
Therefore, the care from the mother alone, under the primitive conditions of prehistoric life, would not have been sufficient for that child to survive until the age of 6. The existence of CN-46700 suggests that this child received extensive and continuous support from a larger community.
This implies that Neanderthals may have evolved far more rapidly than we previously thought, and their social structures may have been more complex than those of our species during the same period.
Earlier evidence has also suggested that this ancient human species was not just a group of wild apes as previously thought, but possessed many impressive skills tens of thousands of years ago—from weaving fibers to tool-making and jewelry crafting.
Neanderthals went extinct around 30,000 years ago and belonged to the same genus Homo as modern humans, Homo sapiens.
