The Skhul Cave Fossil, which dates back 140,000 years and is now the oldest Neanderthal-human hybrid

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Scientists as well as those who are interested in the history of humanity find it fascinating to study this relationship. Researchers have found that Neanderthals mixed with H. Sapiens for many thousands of years. We even have Neanderthal DNA in our body today. The “Lapedo Valley Child” is the oldest known example of interbreeding between H. Sapiens and Neanderthals. It was discovered in Portugal around 28,000-years ago. This timeline has been changed dramatically by a recent discovery from Israel. This new study published in L’Anthropologie (19659003), discusses the skull of a child aged five years old that shows both Neanderthal and H. sapiens traits. This child’s skull, which is over 140,000 years-old, represents the oldest known example of interbreeding between Neanderthals and H. Sapiens . It also surpasses the Lapedo Valley Child in age by more than 100,000 years. The fossil that we examined is the oldest physical evidence known of matings between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens . A skeleton of a child with traits from both human groups was found in Portugal in 1998. Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University said in a recent press release that the Skhul Child is more than 100,000-years older.

Read moreBrutes and Brains – What we know about Neanderthal brain size

Changing the History of Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens and Scientists believed for a very long time that the Skhul Cave skeletons were just another type of ancient human. This new study indicates that these skeletons may be the first evidence ever found of interbreeding between H. Sapiens and Neanderthals. The Neanderthals

are commonly thought to be a European species that evolved primarily in Europe, before moving across continents. It was believed that their presence in Israel occurred around 70,000-years ago, after European glaciers advanced. Researchers from the same group who discovered that Skhul Cave’s child was of mixed ancestry have rewritten history in other cases. They previously determined that Neanderthals had been present in Israel up to 400,000 years before. This child’s skull proves that the H. Sapiensand Neanderthal populations were socially and racially mixed in Israel for many more centuries than was previously thought.

What Are Neanderthal Characteristics? The Skhul Cave skull was subjected to a series of tests that allowed the identification of both Neanderthal and H. sapiens ( ) traits. Researchers scanned the Skhul Cave skull using micro-CT to create a 3D version. The model created allowed them to compare the results of their morphological analyses to those of ancient populations. They found that both the Neanderthals and H. sapiens (19459005) traits were present in both of their analyses, as well as when they examined the 3D models. Hershkovitz stated in a press release that “in our study we showed that the child’s skull has an intracranial system of blood supply, lower jaw and inner ear structures typical of Neanderthals.” Researchers now know, based on their findings that the skull of a child represents genetic infiltration from Neanderthals to H. Sapiens population. Skhul Cave’s skeleton has been confirmed to have both Neanderthals and H. Sapiens genetic ancestry. This complicates science’s understanding of how these ancient humans intertwined tens and thousands of years before they knew.

Continue reading: Reconstructing World where Homo Sapiens & Neanderthals first got together

Article References

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• L’Anthropologie. New analysis of Skhul I’s neurocranium, mandible and taxonomic implications

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