‘Tina’ Offers Glimpse of Neanderthal Caregiving

Recent studies exploring Neanderthal behavior reveal a social structure committed to community caregiving.

The latest evidence of this emerged from a discovery at the Cova Negra site in Xàtiva, Valencia, Spain, where a multidisciplinary team of researchers uncovered the fossilized remains of a Neanderthal child. This 200,000-year-old child, nicknamed Tina, showed signs of severe inner ear pathology suggestive of Down syndrome.

The findings offer new insights into the social dynamics and compassionate nature of Neanderthals, upending previous assumptions about their society.

“The excavations at Cova Negra have been key to understanding the way of life of the Neandertals along the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula and have allowed us to define the occupations of the settlement: of short temporal duration and with a small number of individuals, alternating with the presence of carnivores,” University of Valencia Professor of Prehistory Valentín Villaverde added in a press release.

The Implications of Tina’s Survival

Archaeologists have been flocking to Cova Negra since 1929, digging up a series of human fossil remains that date back anywhere between 273,000 and 146,000 years.

Tina’s discovery adds a new dimension to our grasp of Neanderthal society. Micro-computed tomography (μCT) scans of the fossil revealed a range of inner ear malformations, including “lateral semicircular canal (LSC) dysplasia and an enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA),” conditions normally linked to Down syndrome.

The researchers suggest that Tina likely suffered from severe hearing loss, frequent episodes of vertigo, and significant mobility challenges.

But what makes Tina’s discovery significant is how long she survived. The researchers estimate that she lived at least six years. And that’s far better than what one might expect from anyone with a similar condition at that time. This longevity suggests that the child received continuous and extensive care, beyond what the mother alone could provide. The demanding lifestyle of Neanderthals, who relied on high mobility for survival, implies that the mother must have had substantial assistance from other group members.

“What was not known until now was any case of an individual who had received help, even if they could not return the favor, which would prove the existence of true altruism among Neandertals,” Mercedes Conde, professor at the University of Alcalá and lead author of the study, explained. “That is precisely what the discovery of Tina means.”

The Debate Over Neanderthal Caregiving

The discovery will probably revive the debate about the existence and nature of care in prehistoric societies.

Some argue that it’s impossible to infer caregiving from paleopathological evidence alone. But others counter that such evidence can provide valuable insights into social behaviors. Tina’s case supports the second group, hinting that Neanderthals engaged in complex social strategies that included collaborative parenting and caregiving.

It’s worth noting that this care went beyond reciprocal selfishness, suggesting a genuine sense of compassion among Neanderthals. This behavior would have been part of a broader adaptive strategy that included other prosocial behaviors. The study of children like Tina’s is particularly valuable since she wouldn’t be able to reciprocate.

Broader Context of Caregiving in Hominins

The discovery of Tina’s remains provides compelling evidence that Neanderthals engaged in sophisticated social behaviors. This challenges the notion that such complex social structures are unique to modern humans. 

It suggests that the roots of compassion and collaborative parenting run deep. As researchers continue to study these ancient remains, our understanding of Neanderthal society and its similarities to our own continues to expand, offering new perspectives on the evolution of human social behavior.

Further Reading

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