Extinct human ancestors were caring and compassionate
Researchers from Spain have discovered the remains of a Neanderthal child with a number of traits characteristic of Down syndrome. However, unlike other prehistoric people with this condition, the young man did not die in infancy, indicating that both the child and his mother received constant care and support from the rest of the tribe.
The study authors stumbled upon the incredible find while analyzing bones that were originally discovered back in 1989 at the Paleolithic site of Cova Negra in Valencia. Among these fossils were several inner ear fragments with congenital malformations that could cause hearing loss and dizziness.
“The only syndrome that is compatible with the entire set of malformations present in the remains, — This is Down syndrome, — say the researchers. — It is therefore remarkable that the individual lived to at least six years of age, far exceeding the normal life expectancy of children with Down syndrome in prehistoric populations.
Indeed, Down syndrome is the most common genetic disorder in humans and is also seen in great apes, but survival beyond infancy is thought to have been rare before the modern era. Among chimpanzees, one particularly touching case was described in which a child with Down syndrome was cared for by his mother and sister, but died before the age of two.
Among our species, between 3629 and 400 BC, there was Five prehistoric cases of Down syndrome have been recorded, and none of these people lived longer than 16 months.
However, based on the size and stage of development of the bones from Cova Negra, the study authors concluded that this particular child was between six and seven years old at the time of death.
«It is reasonable to believe that the long life of this the child could have happened only because during this time he received constant care and attention,” — they say.
Giving a little more detail about the nature of this support, the researchers explain that “due to the complex lifestyle of Neanderthals, including their high level of mobility, it is difficult to imagine that a human mother could provide such care alone, as well as perform normal daily activities, for long periods of time.” time.» Thus, it is likely that the mother required ongoing assistance from the rest of the tribe, either to assist with other daily tasks, to directly assist in providing necessary child care, or both.
Such findings make a significant contribution to the debate about the origins of empathic and humanitarian behavior in human ancestors. Although there has been documented evidence of Neanderthals caring in the past, some anthropologists have argued that it arose as a kind of self-interested pact between individuals who could return the favor. However, the authors of the new study note that their case is “particularly interesting because social assistance was intended for an immature person who did not have the opportunity to reciprocate the assistance received.” This, in turn, supports the argument that caring for Neanderthals was rooted in genuine altruism, rather than a need to secure future favors from people indebted to them.
Putting these results in context, the scientists report, that their findings indicate that «child care and cooperative child rearing occurred simultaneously in Neanderthals and that both prosocial behaviors were part of a broader social adaptation with high selective value that must have been very similar to that of our species.» ;.
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