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Fuente: earth.com Published by Andrei Ionescu (Earth.com staff writer) in earth.com on 20 March 2026 Birch tar has long appeared at Neanderthal sites as a black, sticky residue – usually explained as a kind of prehistoric glue used to hold tools together. However, that simple picture may be missing something important. A new study from the  University of Cologne  and the  University of Oxford   suggests the same substance that helped Neanderthals build their tools may also have helped them treat wounds . When researchers recreated birch tar using ancient methods, they found it could slow the growth of bacteria linked to infection . The findings don’t prove Neanderthals practiced medicine . But they add to a growing body of evidence that these early humans were more than skilled hunters – they may also have been practical caregivers , using the materials around them to manage injury and disease. Read more

Neanderthals and modern humans must be classed as separate species to best track our origins, claims new study from the Natural History Museum A replica of an approximately 50,000-year-old Neanderthal cranium from La Ferrassie, France, compared to a recent Homo Sapiens cranium © Trustees of the Natural History Museum PRESS RELEASE originally published by the Natural History Museum on 4 December 2024 Study argues that by the time of H. sapiens expansion, differentiation between the two species had occurred to the point where they were distinguishable species .  A new study published by researchers at London’s Natural History Museum and Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven has reinforced the claim that Neanderthals and modern-day humans ( Homo sapiens) must be classed as separate species in order to best track our evolutionary history. Different researchers have different definitions as to what classifies as a species. It is undisputed that H. sapiens and Neanderth...