They discover the first case of Down syndrome in Neanderthals

The study of hominids has allowed scientists to discover how the evolution of human beings occurredin addition to some other secrets, such as the origin of some diseases or what it was like to live thousands of years ago.

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It was precisely through these investigations that Experts managed to discover the first case of Down syndrome in Neanderthals, which which also generates the hypothesis that Early man cared for the vulnerable, and may have felt compassion for them.

Experts from the University of Alcalá, in Spain, analyzed a small fragment of the skull of a six-year-old girl whom they named ‘Tina’ who lived more than 1,450 years ago and discovered that The fossil had characteristics that have currently been detected in children with this genetic disorder.

According to the analysis, Tina suffered from a congenital pathology in the inner ear that is related to the genetic disorderoday probably caused severe hearing loss, as well as vertigo.

Neanderthals took care of the helpless

The most impressive thing about this finding is that it reveals that Neanderthals were capable of providing altruistic care and support to vulnerable members of their social group, as Tina survived for several years after her birth.

The fossils were found in the Cova Negra, a cave site located in Valencia, which was excavated between 1929 and 2017. where researchers recently analyzed remains found during a 1989 excavation and discovered three new fossils that had previously gone unnoticed.

The team believes they are between 146,000 and 273,000 years old, and in the who used microcomputed tomography on the fossil, a 3D imaging technique that uses X-rays to see the inside of an object, slice by slice.

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“The pathology suffered by this individual caused highly disabling symptoms, including, at a minimum, total deafness, severe attacks of vertigo and inability to maintain balance,” said Dr. Conde-Valverde, co-author of the study.

Tina’s discovery represents the oldest known case of Down syndrome and demonstrates that the diversity observed in modern humans was already present in prehistoric times.ensuring that the story of human evolution includes them all.

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