Red dot on rock (left) and multispectral image of the dot (right) that reveals it as a human fingerprintÁlvarez-Alonso et al. 2025, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
Posted on 06/11/2025 1:12:13 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
When archaeologists were sifting through layers of sediment from the San Lázaro rock shelter in Segovia, Spain, they noticed an unusual looking stone that seemed to contain a small red dot in the middle. BBC News reports that deeper analysis of the object revealed that the strange mark was actually a Neanderthal fingerprint, the oldest known human fingerprint in existence. The researchers suggest that the small rock's three natural indentations resemble the two eyes and mouth of a human face. The dot seems to have been added to the stone's surface with red ocher to create the missing nose. Multispectral imaging of the pigment revealed the clear outline of a human fingerprint belonging to a Neanderthal who lived around 43,000 years ago. Researchers believe that the marking was deliberately made, since ocher does not naturally occur at the site and would have to have been intentionally brought to the shelter. Archaeologist Maria de Andrés-Herrero of the Complutense University of Madrid said her group's findings mark an important contribution to the debate on Neanderthals' symbolic capacity. If the archaeologists' interpretations are accurate, it would also make the stone the oldest known portable art object in Europe and the only one known to have been painted by Neanderthals. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. To read about eagle talons that Neanderthals appropriated as jewelry and symbolic objects, go to "Neanderthal Fashion Statement."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
Red dot on rock (left) and multispectral image of the dot (right) that reveals it as a human fingerprintÁlvarez-Alonso et al. 2025, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
The Neandertal Enigma"Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]
by James Shreeve
in local libraries
Helen Thomas?......................
No, Nancy Pelosi
Do other animals have fingerprints?
https://www.newscientist.com/lastword/mg24933253-300-do-other-animals-have-fingerprints-and-what-purpose-do-they-serve/
Unsurprisingly, our closest relatives, the great apes, also have fingerprints.
Perhaps more surprisingly, so does the koala. In an example of convergent evolution, koalas have fingerprints that are virtually indistinguishable from ours, even though our last common ancestor lived more than 100 million years ago. Like human prints, each individual koala’s fingerprint has a unique pattern.
The primary function of fingerprints still isn’t universally agreed on. Suggested benefits include improved grip and the prevention of blisters. Fingerprints are also thought to increase the sensitivity of touch, allowing us to discriminate finer details.
All I see in the print is straight lines. No swirls.
Multispectral imaging itself does not provide direct dating info. So we have to guess it helped establish the context of artifacts that are then dated using methods like radiocarbon dating. That 43,000 year date is in the low dating range typical for coal beds. For those who are skeptical about C14 dating, the Biblical flood correlates with the formation of coal. According to the Septuagint chronology, the flood occurred ~3183 BC. So, this artifact could be from an early prehistoric human sometime a few hundred years or more after the flood.
Having been identified...his village nickname was Bob....
Not a chance.
Coal doesn’t have radiocarbon dates because it is too old to retain C14.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
