A Neanderthal with Down Syndrome Displays the Humanity of Ancient Humans

Science News

on January 1, 2025
Featured in Answers Magazine

A fossilized ear bone found in a Spanish cave revealed that a six-year-old Neanderthal child possibly had Down syndrome.

Researchers believe that because the child lived longer than other pre-modern Down syndrome children, he or she must have been cared for and looked after by his or her community. A CNN Science article admitted that this research “is at odds with the image of Neanderthals, ancient human relatives who went extinct around 40,000 years ago, as brutish cavemen.”

But the discovery is not at odds with God’s Word: humans were created on day six of creation week only a few thousand years ago. Because Neanderthals were humans made in God’s image, they were capable of kindness, love, and compassion for children and the needy.

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