Latest news with #LapedoChild
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Found a Human-Neanderthal Hybrid
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The remains of the Lapedo Child, found in Portugal in 1998, showed signs of being both Neanderthal and human, as later confirmed by DNA. New techniques in radiocarbon dating allowed scientists to date the remains to roughly 28,000 years ago. The fresh dating timeline puts the remains roughly 40,000 years beyond Neanderthal extinction. Neanderthal genes seem to have hung around long after Neanderthals themselves did, as new scientific dating of the famed Lapedo Child remains shows that remains of a child with both human and Neanderthal features was from tens of thousands of years after when the latter went extinct. The Lapedo Child, discovered by happenstance by archaeologists inspecting rock formations in Portugal in 1998, at the time wowed the scientific community with the obvious mixture of both Neanderthal and human characteristics, and further DNA testing confirmed he had genes from both groups. Now, in a new study published by Science Advances, a team of researchers wrote that an updated radiocarbon dating technique allowed them to date the remains to between 27,780 and 28,550 years ago, roughly 40,000 years after Neanderthals went extinct. The ochre-stained skeleton of the roughly 4- or 5-year-old child—experts believe the body was wrapped in a painted animal skin for burial in the Lagar Velho rock shelter—when found 'exhibited a mosaic of Neanderthal and anatomically modern human features argued to reflect admixture between the two human populations,' the authors wrote. Initial observations showed distinct markers, such as a human-like prominent chin, but short, stocky legs akin to a Neanderthal. But at the point of discovery dating was tricky, thanks to the era's technology (or lack thereof) and the fact that plants had started growing into the bones. All these years later, the team used hydroxyproline 'direct compound-specific radiocarbon' to date five bones and underlying contexts—those contexts included rabbit bones found on top of the child, deer bones near the remains, and charcoal under the body—to reassess the dating. The process determined that the remains are roughly 28,000 years old. 'The key benefit of compound-specific radiocarbon dating is that it is extremely efficient at removing contamination from archaeological bones,' Bethan Linscott, geochemist at the University of Miami and study first author, told Live Science. 'This is especially important when dealing with poorly preserved bones because even trace amounts of contamination present in such samples can seriously impact the accuracy of the date.' With every element returning the similar date range, researchers believe they found more information about the burial process, which could have included the animals as an offering and the charcoal as being from a ritual fire. 'Being able to successfully date the child felt like giving them back a tiny piece of their story,' Linscott told the Associated Press, 'which is a huge privilege.' Once the first Neanderthal genome was sequenced roughly a decade after the find, it began the process of understanding the interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals and how ancient Neanderthal DNA has then survived for centuries. More specific carbon-dating techniques for Paleolithic bones could help researchers develop an updated timeline of how Neanderthals, who experts believe went extinct roughly 40,000 years ago, intertwined with modern humans and just how that still plays out in the DNA of today. You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists pinpoint age of suspected human-Neanderthal hybrid child
Advanced radiocarbon dating has provided the most accurate age assessment yet for the 'Lapedo Child,' one of the most provocative prehistoric human skeletons ever discovered. But the results of this study published March 7 in the journal Science Advances aren't likely to settle an ongoing debate in the paleoarcheological community. In 1998, researchers exploring the Lapedo Valley in central Portugal came across an unexpected find: a rock shelter situated at a cliffbase containing an ancient child's nearly intact, ochre-stained skeleton along with items such as pierced shells and animal bones possibly used in a burial ritual. The team excavated and transported the bones to a lab, where they later determined the remains belonged to a roughly 4-year-old juvenile who lived approximately 24,500 years ago. Further analysis revealed that the prehistoric 'Lapedo Child' displayed a unique blend of physical characteristics that would soon make them famous: a mixture of both human and Neanderthal features suggesting a 'hybrid' between the two evolutionary relatives. For example, the child's lower limbs were much shorter than those of a modern human, and more resembled a Neanderthal. The skull, however, almost fully mirrored a Homo sapien, particularly the teeth and inner ears. At the same time, a pitted occipital region again recalled Neanderthals. While interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals is documented in our species' genealogical history, there was a problem: Neanderthals largely went extinct about 40,000 years ago–about 20,000 years before this child lived. While pockets of the genus lingered to intermingle with humans for thousands of years, the Lapedo Child's approximate age made direct interbredding hard to believe for some paleoarcheologists. The two sides have gone back and forth over the implications for decades. One camp argues the Lapedo Child is the progeny of human and Neanderthal parents, while the other faction contends they simply display genetic traits inherited from interbreeding further back in their family tree. Scientists previously tried to more precisely estimate the Lapedo Child's age using radiocarbon dating methods four times, but failed each attempt. Now, over 25 years after the discovery, a team including some of the Lapedo Child's original locators has managed to lock in a precise date range. They believe that the Lapedo Child lived somewhere between 27,780–28,850 years ago. The breakthrough is thanks to a new method known as hydroxyporline dating. This approach focuses on specific amino acids, while also removing more contaminants than standard dating options can. Researchers also used hydroxyporline dating on some of the burial site's animal bone samples that included rabbit, horse, and red deer. While this latest chapter in the Lapedo Child's saga doesn't necessarily confirm or deny their parentage, additional evidence uncovered in the years since the initial discovery certainly lends additional credence to the hybridization theory. Regardless, the new dating techniques offer a more concrete context for Lapedo Child's time period, as well as the Paleolithic community that buried them. Researchers also believe hydroxyporline dating will soon help paleoarcheologists learn much more about humanity's evolutionary past. 'The direct date for the Lapedo Child demonstrates that this compound-specific radiocarbon dating method can also be applied to poorly preserved samples that would otherwise fail routine pretreatment methods,' the authors wrote in their study, suggesting 'other morphologically and culturally important Paleolithic human remains' like those at Mladeč Caves in the Czech Republic, as well as France's Abri Pataud and Saint Césaire sites.
