Neanderthals may have lost Homo sapiens In the evolutionary battle for survival, but over time we are learning more and more about similarities between species – and according to new research, which extends to the upbringing of children.
A new study using geochemical and histological techniques to look at three Neanderthal milk teeth has found that these babies started on solid foods at about 5 or 6 months of age … just like in fact modern humans.
Teeth have lines of growth that resemble rings inside tree trunks, marking growth and changes in diet that scientists have been able to identify. It helps to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding how Neanderthal babies were born and raised.
(Stefano Benazi)
“Now, we know that even when modern humans do, Neanderthals start weaning their babies,” says Alessia Nava, an anthropologist at the University of Kent in the UK.
“The onset of weaning is related to physiology rather than cultural factors. In fact, the first introduction of solid foods occurs at about 6 months of age when the baby needs a more nutritious food supply, and it is widely distributed across different cultures and societies.”
The teeth were originally found in northeastern Italy and are said to be 45,000 to 45,000,000 years old. The teeth were paper-thinly cut, analyzed, and then rebuilt.
The enamel of the teeth involved in the study was an analysis of strontium isotopes. The chemical composition was compared to that of contemporary mice and human teeth in that Neanderthals probably lived closer to home than previously thought.
Like humans, it also seems to have been a growing brain and its demand for extra fuel that promotes the release of Neanderthal milk. If true, it means that experts can give more details about our evolutionary cousins.
“The results of this work indicate the approaching pace of growth between demand and demand during the early childhood. Homo sapiens Says Ste Stefano Benazi, an anthropologist at the University of Bologna in Italy, and Neanderthals.
“Taken together, these factors probably suggest that Neanderthal infants weighed the same for modern human neonates, pointing to potentially similar pregnancy histories and early life growth, and potentially shorter inter-birth intervals.”
One hypothesis put forward for the final death of Neanderthals is that long-term breastfeeding reduced fertility rates, eventually allowing Homo sapiens To advance them. Researchers say the idea is not supported by this new study.
Exactly why modern-day humans survived and Neanderthals did not continue to intimidate scientists, and many questions remain about how these ancient people lived and died – some of which may answer this new research.
Milk teeth begin to form in the uterus, and so the analysis of teeth can tell us something about the diet and life of mothers as well as children – but it will be a topic for future research, say study authors.
Research has been published in P.N.A.S..
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