Scientists Identify First Evidence of Down Syndrome in Neanderthals
The discovery shows Neanderthals provided altruistic care for vulnerable members of their communities.
Much of what archaeologists are learning these days is transforming how we view history and, ultimately, ourselves. We have a habit of viewing humanity as unique and special. We see ourselves as the only highly intelligent animal, the best there ever was, far too superior even to be categorized as “animal.”
Yet, recent archeological and other scientific discoveries show us how wrong these long-held assumptions are. The truth is, we aren’t as special as we like to think. We aren’t even the only Humans to ever live — we’re merely one of several. The Neanderthals are the most well-known of our Human cousins, and we used to consider them primitive brutes, but archeological finds show they were quite similar to us — and scientists just identified another similarity to add to the list.
Neanderthals
We’ve known about Neanderthals since 1856 when the first Neanderthal remains were found in Germany. Since then, we’ve learned Neandetherals lived in Eurasia for around 400,000 years, and our Homo sapien ancestors coexisted with their species. One of humanity’s greatest mysteries is why we…
