A cutting-edge radiocarbon dating technique has successfully dated a skeleton that combines features of modern humans and Neanderthals from over 27,000 years ago.
Dubbed the “Lapedo Child” after its discovery in the Lapedo Valley in central Portugal in 1998, the skeleton of the child, who was likely no more than five years old at the time of death, has fascinated scientists due to its combination of features from these two distinct human lineages.
The researchers behind the newest dating believe their method can be applied to other poorly preserved samples that have proven difficult to date with traditional methods. The research team also believes its findings can offer additional perspective to this archaeological enigma, including unraveling the skeleton’s enigmatic origins.
Skeleton with Human and Neanderthal Features Supports Interbreeding Theories
When scientists first studied the skeleton of the Lapedo Child, they noted the unusual combination of physical characteristics that seemed to indicate the child could be the offspring of one Neanderthal parent and one anatomically modern human parent.
Lapedo Child
The Lapedo Child remains, discovered in 1998 (Credit: João Zilhão and Cidália Duarte)
According to the researchers who performed the initial analysis, the temporal bone, mandible, teeth, and pubic bone showed distinctive traits of modern humans. Conversely, they noted that the overall body proportions, femorotibial lengths, and other components “align the skeleton with Neanderthals.”
Archaeologists have long suspected that modern humans leaving Africa and Neanderthals who had been in Europe for over 200,000 years bred with one another. Thanks to advances in DNA analysis, in recent years scientists have been able to offer genetic evidence that confirms this hypothesis.
Several studies have confirmed the interaction between these two branches of humanity as recently as 45,000 years ago. Some scientists have even found evidence that Neanderthals were using advanced techniques and tools rivaling the complexity of those made and used by humans. A recent AI facial reconstruction of a Neanderthal who lived over 75,000 years ago also revealed a stunning look at this ancient archaic human’s appearance. Still, before the discovery of the Lapedo Child, ancient remains containing a mix of traits from both categories of humans have remained elusive.
Neanderthal Human
Drawing of Lapedo Child grave site. Artist credit: (A) J.Z. and (B) G. Casella.
In this latest effort, researchers delved into the mystery of the Lapedo Child to create a precise date for the remains.
New Technique is First to Successfully Age Lapedo Child
In their study, the researchers explain several unsuccessful attempts to use radiocarbon dating techniques to confirm when the half-human half-Neanderthal with “a morphological ‘mosaic’ of anatomically modern human and Neanderthal features” lived. Although some of the material found during the initial excavation offered a date of around 24-25 thousand years before the present, all four tests attempting to date the child’s remains failed.
“Radiocarbon dating of animal bone and charcoal recovered from the burial context suggested that the event had taken place between 27.7 and 29.7 ka (thousand years) ago, but despite four attempts, it was not possible to obtain a reliable radiocarbon date for the individual,” the study authors write.
For this latest attempt, the researchers employed a relatively new technique called hydroxyproline dating. According to the study, this technique “targets specific amino acids and can remove more contaminants” than standard radiocarbon dating methods.
human neanderthal
The researchers tested fragments of the Lapedo Child’s right radius. Image credit: C.D.
After selecting portions of the child’s right radius and preparing them for analysis using their new method, the team performed their analysis. As hoped, they received a clear range: the half-human, half-Neanderthal hybrid child likely lived between 27,780 and 28,850 years ago.
virtual reality
The team confirmed this date range by performing radiocarbon dating of other bone fragments from the excavation site to the same range. These samples included red deer bones, rabbit remains, and a horse mandible.
Method Could Solve Mystery of Several Ancient Remains
Although the exact amount of modern human and Neanderthal DNA was not part of this study, the timeline is consistent with the dual occupation of Europe by both human lineages. Although more analysis is needed, the team behind the new date believes their work offers a compelling test case for the new radiocarbon dating technique. They suggest this technique “can also be applied to poorly preserved samples that would otherwise fail routine pretreatment methods.”
“Other morphologically and culturally important Paleolithic human remains such as those from the Mladeč Caves (Czech Republic), Abri Pataud, and Saint-Césaire (France) would be ideal candidates for this approach, particularly those that exhibit younger-than-expected direct radiocarbon ages” they conclude.
The study “Direct hydroxyproline radiocarbon dating of the Lapedo child (Abrigo do Lagar Velho, Leiria, Portugal)” was published in Science Advances.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him onX,learn about his books atplainfiction.com, or email him directly atchristopher@thedebrief.org.