Posted on 12/04/2007 1:52:30 PM PST by blam
Neanderthal Children Grew Up Fast
ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2007) — An international European research collaboration led by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology reports evidence for a rapid developmental pattern in a 100,000 year old Belgian Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis).
Growth lines inside a Neanderthal tooth (left - diagonally running lines) and on the outside (right- horizontal curved lines). Counts and measurements of these lines helped to determine that the child was approximately 8 years old when it died. (Credit: Tanya Smith, MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology)
A new report details how the team used growth lines both inside and on the surfaces of the child’s teeth to reconstruct tooth formation time and its’ age at death.
Scientists found differences in the duration of tooth growth in the Neanderthal when compared to modern humans, with the former showing shorter times in most cases. This faster growth resulted in a more advanced pattern of dental development than in fossil and living members of our own species (Homo sapiens).
The Scladina juvenile, which appears to be developmentally similar to a 10-12 year old human, was estimated to be in fact about 8 years old at death. This pattern of development appears to be intermediate between early members of our genus (e.g., Homo erectus) and living people, suggesting that the characteristically slow development and long childhood is a recent condition unique to our own species.
Neanderthal life history, or the timing of developmental and reproductive events, has been under great debate during the past few decades. Across primates, tooth development, specifically the age of molar eruption, is related to other developmental landmarks such as weaning and first reproduction.
Scientists have previously found evidence to both support and refute the idea that Neanderthals grew up differently than our own species. In this new study, researchers used information from the inside of a molar tooth, coupled with data from micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), as well as evidence of developmental stress on the outsides of tooth crowns and roots.
This yields the first chronology, or time sequence, for Neanderthal tooth growth, which differs from living humans. The Scladina Neanderthal grew teeth over a shorter period of time, and has more teeth erupted (present in the mouth), than similarly-aged fossil or living humans (Homo sapiens).
This suggests that other aspects of physical development were likely more rapidly achieved as well, implying significant differences in the behaviour or social organization of these ancient humans.
Journal reference: Tanya M. Smith, Michel Toussaint, Donald J. Reid, Anthony J. Olejniczak, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Rapid Dental Development in a Middle Paleolithic Belgian Neanderthal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA December 2007
Adapted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.
IT is NOT a child!!!
It seems that only with Cro-Magnon Man (homo-sapiens) did ‘childhood’ take on any special meaning. Other animals in the wild mature within two or three years, and are then able to fend for themselves. With the advent of modern man came a longer period of childhood development. And that remains so even today with all of us, homo-sapien-sapiens. :)
The big brain of the human causes a big head which requires ‘early birthing’, before the head gets to large to pass down the birthing canal. Because the human brain is so immature at birth, it requires a long childhood.
Hmmm! Grows up fast and lives longer than Methusula - 100,000 years.
Hahahahahahahhahaahahahahahahahha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its funny how they keep trying to add to the stupid, already proven false, THEORY of “evolution”. Another pig’s tooth maybe? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Neanderthals had larger brains than Homo Sapiens. They would have the same birthing issues that we do.
I was going to point that out; you beat me to it.
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Those tough Neandertal women — what about their hip widths? (this in regard to the childbirth question)
Study: Neanderthals, Modern Humans Same Species
USA Today | 12-26-2001 | Michael A. Stowe
Posted on 01/10/2002 8:42:43 AM EST by blam
Edited on 04/13/2004 4:38:56 AM EDT by Jim Robinson
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/605441/posts
Neanderthals Matured Faster Than Modern Man -Study
Science - Reuters | 2004-04-28 | Patricia Reaney
Posted on 04/28/2004 3:57:48 PM EDT by Junior
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1126139/posts
[snip] Dental growth records contain biological information and give an overall indication of the maturity of a species. Ramirez Rozzi and Bermudez de Castro studied the series of ridges, called perikymata, on teeth fossils. They compared teeth fossils from Neanderthals dating from 130,000 to 28,000 years ago, earlier samples dating between 800,000 and 400,000 years and teeth fossils of homo sapiens that were 20,000-8,000 years old. [end]
Study: Neanderthals Grew Up Much Faster
Yahoo! News | April 28, 2004 | CHRIS KAHN
Posted on 04/28/2004 5:11:51 PM EDT by El Conservador
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1126185/posts
Neanderthal Teeth Grew No Faster Than Comparable Modern Humans’
Ohio State Research | Monday, September 19, 2005 | Staff
Posted on 09/19/2005 5:11:50 PM EDT by DaveLoneRanger
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1487528/posts
[snip] “Based on our study of the enamel of these Neanderthal teeth and other modern ones, we can’t support the claim that Neanderthals grew up more quickly than do modern humans,” she said. Key to this conclusion are microscopic lines on the outside of teeth that mark the incremental growth of enamel on a young tooth. [end]
Neandertals Had Long Childhoods, Tooth Study Suggests
National Geographic News | September 14, 200 | James Owen
Posted on 09/14/2006 9:04:20 AM EDT by billorites
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1701289/posts
[snip] The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition, compared growth rates of Neandertal front teeth with those of three modern human populations: Inuit (Eskimo), English, and southern African... They found that Neandertal (often spelled “Neanderthal”) teeth grew at a similar rate to those of people living today and actually formed slower than those of southern Africans... The team based their findings on layers of tooth enamel... Other researchers who studied Neandertal tooth remains reported in 2004 that Neandertals became sexually mature adults by as young as 15 years of age (see “Neandertals Were Fully Developed by Age 15, Experts Say”). The 2004 study found Neandertal wisdom teeth grew 15 percent faster than those of modern humans. Guatelli-Steinberg, though, says the earlier study did not take into account how variable modern populations are in their dental growth — a criticism that was also raised at the time of the 2004 study’s publication. [end]
Neanderthals’ Tough Stone Age Lives
Science News | 12-16-2006 | Bruce Bower
Posted on 12/15/2006 6:28:42 PM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1754174/posts
[snip] Close examination of the ancient teeth revealed disturbances of enamel formation, especially in the children and teens, that Rosas and his coworkers attribute to near starvation... In another analysis, they compared three Neandertal jaws from the site with jaws from 32 Neandertals and 23 modern Homo sapiens previously found at Stone Age sites throughout Europe and western Asia. Reconstructions of the lower faces indicate that Neandertals evolved into northern and southern varieties, the team claims. [end]
Turns out Neanderthals had good oral hygiene
MSNBC | 9-11-2007
Posted on 09/13/2007 7:14:34 AM EDT by Renfield
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1895747/posts
...proof that Neandertals survived - meet Ahmadinnerjacket's father.
I've long wondered about just this as being a significant (possible) factor in the demise/ extinction of Neanderthals.
I was comparing humans to other mammals, not other humans.
The Neandertal EnigmaFrayer'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
One tooth and one specimen does not a general rule make.
There's a real balancing act between mother & baby. Human pelvic bones are jointed & move to create more room to give birth. Babies skulls also have joints, so the skull can be compressed to allow delivery.
While the question about hip width is important, it's not the only factor to be considered. Are pelvic joints different, the same? Are skull joints the same or different? Bone density?
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