Earliest evidence for invasive mitigation of dental caries by Neanderthals - PubMed
3 days ago
- #paleoanthropology
- #dental archaeology
- #Neanderthal medicine
- The earliest known treatment of dental caries by Neanderthals involved drilling into a tooth with a stone tool around 59,000 years ago.
- The discovery challenges the idea that Neanderthal medical practices were purely instinctual, suggesting deliberate, cognitive intervention.
- This finding bridges Neanderthal behavior with modern human-like medical strategies, distinct from primate self-medication.