Remains of Neanderthal child with Down syndrome provide unusual evidence

The diversity seen in modern humans already existed in prehistoric times

Remains of a Neanderthal child with Down syndrome indicate compassion in ancient humans. The anatomy of the skull shows that the boy or girl was severely disabled, but lived to the age of six.

Photo: unsplash.com

A Neanderthal child with Down syndrome lived to at least six years of age, according to a new study that points to compassionate care among an extinct, archaic human species.

As reported by Reuters, a recent study of a human fossil discovered at the Cova Negra archaeological site in the Spanish province of Valencia found features in the anatomy of the inner ear that suggest Down syndrome, one of the earliest known evidence of the genetic disorder.

< p>The fossil, which preserves the entire anatomy of the inner ear, was discovered during excavations in 1989, but its significance was only recently recognized. It is a fragment of one of the two temporal bones — the right one — which help form the sides and base of the skull, protecting the brain and surrounding the ear canal.

Although researchers cannot say for sure whether the fossil belonged to a girl or a boy, they nicknamed the Neanderthal child “Tina.”

Tina’s combination of inner ear anomalies is known only in people with Down syndrome, notes Reuters.

“The pathology from which this man suffered resulted in severe disabling symptoms, including at least complete deafness, severe attacks of dizziness and an inability to maintain balance,” said Mercedes Conde-Valverde, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Alcalá in Spain and lead author of the study. .

“Given these symptoms, it is extremely unlikely that the mother alone would be able to provide all the necessary care while also caring for her own needs. Therefore, in order for Tina to live for at least six years, the group had to constantly help the mother, either by replacing her in caring for the child, helping with her daily activities, or both,” Conde-Valverde added.

< p>Other pathologies included abnormalities in the semicircular canals—three small tubes that regulate balance and head position—and a decrease in the size of the cochlea, the part of the inner ear responsible for hearing.

The exact age of the fossil was not given certain, but Conde-Valverde notes that the presence of Neanderthals at the Cova Negra site dates from 273,000 to 146,000 years ago.

Homo neanderthalensis, as Neanderthals are officially known, were more powerfully built than Homo sapiens and had larger eyebrows, Reuters notes. They lived approximately 430,000 to 40,000 years ago. Previous research has shown that Neanderthals were intelligent and created art, paint, symbolic objects and possibly spoken language, as well as sophisticated group hunting techniques.

They disappeared relatively soon after our species spread on their territory.

Previous evidence that Neanderthals cared for their sick and wounded has sparked debate about whether this was driven simply by expectations of reciprocal behavior or by genuine compassion.

“It has been known for decades that Neanderthals cared for their vulnerable companions,” Conde-Valverde notes. “However, all known cases of care involved adults, leading some scientists to speculate that such behavior was not genuine altruism, but simply an exchange of care between equals. Until now, there had been no known case of an individual who had received extra maternal care from birth, even though he or she was unable to reciprocate. The discovery of the Cova Negra fossil confirms the existence of true altruism among Neanderthals.”

Archaeological finds at Cova Negra indicate that the site was occupied for a short period of time by small groups of Neanderthal hunter-gatherers who roamed the landscape in search of food and other resources. Tina's age at death, based on the state of maturation of certain structures of the inner ear, suggests an unusual life expectancy for a child in such circumstances with mental retardation and developmental delays.

“Survival of this child after a period of breastfeeding suggests group care is likely to be longer lasting than parental care, which is characteristic of a social context with a high degree of cooperation between group members. Otherwise, it is very difficult to explain the survival of this individual until the age of six,” said Valentin Villaverde, co-author of the study and emeritus professor of prehistory at the University of Valencia.

Conde-Valverde emphasizes: “Tina’s discovery represents the oldest of known cases of Down syndrome and demonstrates that the diversity observed in modern humans already existed in prehistoric times. This discovery ensures that the story of human evolution includes all of us.”