A modern human-Neanderthal hybrid child? What a new study says

The discovery has surprised everyone. After studying the skull of one of the earliest human burials in history, that of a young child, they have concluded that it could have been a cross between modern humans and Neanderthals , suggests the new study published in the journal L'Anthropologie .

Researchers analyzed a skull found at a 140,000-year-old site and concluded that it had characteristics of both modern humans (Homo sapiens) and Neanderthals. But the child's ancestry remains unclear. The skull was part of a group of mysterious human remains unearthed nearly 100 years ago in Skhul Cave ( Mount Carmel, Israel ).

The fossils have been the subject of intense debate since their discovery, although they were largely considered anatomically modern humans. As for Skhul Cave, it is the oldest known organized human site, so the identity of those buried there is significant. Researchers argued that, after their analysis, the remains can no longer be attributed exclusively to Homo sapiens.

To study the skull, researchers used computed tomography techniques and obtained a new image showing a fractured neurocranium (the part that covers the brain) and a mandible. While the neurocranium exhibited modern Homo sapiens characteristics, the mandible was more similar to that of a Neanderthal.

While the neurocranium exhibited modern Homo sapiens features, the mandible was more like that of a Neanderthal.

But not everyone agrees or believes the findings are definitive. Many researchers have pointed out that while the jawbone appears primitive, when all the fossils are considered together, it can be largely aligned with Homo sapiens. Either way, the study's conclusions are consistent with other 2024 research suggesting inter-species gene flow between Neanderthals and humans around 100,000 years ago .

"Human populations are variable ," anthropologist John Hawks noted in Live Science. "There can be a lot of variability in their appearance and physical shape even without interbreeding with Neanderthals. You can't definitively identify a child as a hybrid without extracting their DNA." Modern humans interbred with Neanderthals, which is why most people alive today possess between 1% and 3% Neanderthal DNA . However, researchers still have much to learn about this interbreeding, as well as how the ancient human family tree fits together.

Most people alive today have between 1% and 3% Neanderthal DNA.

Archaeologists first discovered human remains in Skhul Cave in 1928 : the deliberately buried skeletons of seven adults and three children, along with bones linked to 16 other individuals. The bones were initially thought to belong to a transitional species between Neanderthals and modern humans. Researchers later suggested they were a hybrid of the two, but this claim was also rejected, and they were eventually classified as anatomically modern humans, the study said.

In the case of the skull studied, researchers stated that it was most likely that of a girl between 3 and 5 years old . The midsection of the face and much of the base of the skull were missing, while the rest was fragmented . Previously, archaeologists attempted to reconstruct the skull and consolidate the pieces with plaster, making it difficult for modern researchers to study. New CT scans allowed researchers to virtually remove this plaster and compare the skull with other specimens.

Modern human features of the skull include the vertical orientation of a bone on the side of the skull base, while Neanderthal features of the jaw include the lack of a chin.

The discovery has surprised everyone. After studying the skull of one of the earliest human burials in history, that of a young child, they have concluded that it could have been a cross between modern humans and Neanderthals , suggests the new study published in the journal L'Anthropologie .