New Research Sheds Light on Early Life of Neanderthals

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that the modern human nursing strategy, with onset of weaning at 5 to 6 months, was present among Neanderthals who lived between 70,000 and 50,000 years ago in what is now Italy.

The extent to which Neanderthals differ from Homo sapiens is the focus of many studies in human evolution.

There is debate about their pace of growth and early-life metabolic constraints, both of which are still poorly understood.

“The beginning of weaning relates to physiology rather than to cultural factors,” said co-first author Dr. Alessia Nava, a researcher in the Department of Maxillo-Facial Sciences at Sapienza University of Rome and the Skeletal Biology Research Centre at the University of Kent.

http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/early-life-neanderthals-09015.html