146,000 years Old Fossil of a Neanderthal Child with Down Syndrome Found in a Cave in Spain
A remarkable discovery in a cave in Spain has revealed that a Neanderthal child with Down syndrome lived around 146,000 years ago, shedding light on the care and compassion of ancient human relatives. The fossilized ear bone, unearthed from the Cova Negra archaeological site in Valencia province, suggests that the Neanderthal community cared for this vulnerable child until the age of six, challenging long-held stereotypes of Neanderthals as brutish and uncaring. The tiny fossil was excavated in 1989 but was only recently identified as significant during a review of faunal fragments. The peculiar proportions of its semicircular canals, characteristic of Neanderthals, helped researchers make the identification. Abnormalities in the ear bone led the team to conclude that the child had Down syndrome. These abnormalities included an abnormal shape of the lateral semicircular canal, an enlarged vestibular aqueduct, and a reduction in the overall size of the cochlea bon...
