Title

The growth pattern of Neandertals, reconstructed from a juvenile skeleton from El Sidrón (Spain)

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Publication Date

September 2017

Abstract

Ontogenetic studies help us understand the processes of evolutionary change. Previous studies on Neandertals have focused mainly on dental development and inferred an accelerated pace of general growth. We report on a juvenile partial skeleton (El Sidrón J1) preserving cranio-dental and postcranial remains. We used dental histology to estimate the age at death to be 7.7 years. Maturation of most elements fell within the expected range of modern humans at this age. The exceptions were the atlas and mid-thoracic vertebrae, which remained at the 5- to 6-year stage of development. Furthermore, endocranial features suggest that brain growth was not yet completed. The vertebral maturation pattern and extended brain growth most likely reflect Neandertal physiology and ontogenetic energy constraints rather than any fundamental difference in the overall pace of growth in this extinct human.

Keywords

Neanderthal children, Human remains (Archaeology), Caves, Europe, Spain, Asturias

Type

Article

Notes

Volume 357, Issue 6357 7 p.

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Identifier

K26-05466

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