Scientists have determined the age of the remains of an ancient child who caused a stir when he was discovered because he combines features of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.
The baby's remains were found 27 years ago in the Lagar Velho rock shelter, located in central Portugal.
The nearly complete skeleton was painted red, and researchers speculate that it may have been wrapped in a dyed animal skin before burial.
When this humanoid child was found, scientists noted that some of its characteristics, including body proportions and jaw, resembled those of a Neanderthal.
The researchers hypothesized that the child could have come from populations in which Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred and mixed.
It was a bold idea at the time, but advances in genetics have since confirmed that such populations did indeed exist, and people today still carry Neanderthal DNA.
However, trying to establish the exact time when the child lived has proven to be a difficult task.
Small roots had grown through the bones, and contamination from vegetation and other sources prevented scientists from using traditional radiocarbon dating to determine the child's age.
Instead, they dated coal and animal bones found near the skeleton to between 27,700 and 29,700 years old.
The research methods have improved, and on Friday the researchers announced in the journal Science Advances that they had been able to determine the age of the skeleton by measuring a part of the protein that is mostly found in human bones.
After examining part of the crushed arm, they said the previous estimate was rough: the skeleton was between 27,700 and 28,600 years old.
“Being able to reconnect with a child felt like giving them back a little piece of their history, which was a huge privilege,” said Bethan Linscott, the study's author, who is now at the University of Miami in the US.
She stressed that the initial discovery was not just a skeleton, but the grave of a small child.
As she interacted with the bones, she thought about who loved the child, what made him laugh, and what their world was like in the short four years they spent on this planet.
Paul Pettit, an archaeologist at Durham University who was not involved in the new study, said the research shows how dating methods are becoming more accurate and helping scientists better understand our past.
According to the study's author, João Zilhão of the University of Lisbon, studying human origins is important “for the same reason that we keep portraits of our parents and grandparents.”
“It's a way to preserve memory,” he added.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
