Neanderthal dental – A new study of a 59,000-year-old Neanderthal molar from Siberia suggests an invasive dental procedure resembling a root canal.
A tiny hole in a Neanderthal molar is now driving big questions about what these ancient people could do to care for their teeth.
Archaeologists working at Chagyrskaya Cave in southwestern Siberia have long treated the site as a treasure trove of Paleolithic life. from stone and bone tools to fossils tied to the easternmost Neanderthal population.. In a study published in PLOS One. researchers report a new find from the cave: a Neanderthal molar dating to about 59. 000 years ago that bears a depression on the chewing surface.. The team argues the mark is the physical signature of an invasive dental procedure—something they compare to a root canal.
According to one co-author. the depression was likely produced by a stone tool held between the Neanderthal’s thumb and forefinger.. The intended use. he said. would have been to rotate the tool on the tooth’s chewing surface. with the goal of opening a pathway to expose the pulp and remove material.. In his view, the match between tool marks and the tooth’s internal damage makes the explanation “basically” straightforward.
Not everyone is ready to call it a definitive “smoking gun.” A bioarchaeologist not involved in the work praised the quality of the data and the logic of the study. saying the researchers did careful work and presented strong observations.. She agreed the hole could plausibly have been made with a stone tool. but she cautioned that the evidence does not prove intention by itself.. In her assessment, it is believable, yet the case is not airtight.
The discovery emerged from meticulous fieldwork during a rainy stretch in the summer of 2016. when researchers carefully cleared dirt and rock from the cave floor with scalpels and small knives while dealing with water drops from the ceiling.. Even with the discomfort. they were drawn by the site’s reputation: Chagyrskaya Cave is described as the richest collection of its kind for that part of Eurasia.
During that work. the team recovered a set of Neanderthal remains. including finger and toe bones and teeth around 59. 000 years old. among them an adult molar now at the center of the new study.. Cleaning and examination became the turning point.. When the tooth was cleaned. the researchers noted a deep cavity on the biting surface—an appearance that could. in principle. have multiple causes.
To investigate those possibilities, the research team examined the molar using micro-CT scanning and a scanning electron microscope.. Their imaging showed that the cavity occupied the entire space that would have been taken up by the pulp.. They also reported numerous microscopic radial grooves inside the tooth. which they interpret as traces of drilling—consistent with an attempt to open and clean out decayed tissue.
To test whether their interpretation was physically plausible, the scientists carried out experiments on modern human teeth.. They used a replica of the stone tool they believe was employed on the ancient molar. including a version provided by one of the researchers.. Their goal was not to recreate every detail of Neanderthal behavior. but to see whether the geometry of the damage and the pattern of abrasion could be reproduced.
Those experiments reportedly duplicated the same overall shape and abrasion seen in the fossil tooth. strengthening the researchers’ interpretation that stone-tool drilling could create the observed internal pattern.. The team also points to a broader biological implication: cavities appear to have been rare among Neanderthals.. If the interpretation holds. the tooth could indicate that people tens of thousands of years ago had the skill to perform a precise and invasive dental procedure.
Follow-up evidence from the tooth’s condition suggests the individual survived the intervention. The researchers say subsequent wear on the tooth indicates the person lived on after the procedure, rather than the tooth being damaged only after death.
One of the study’s most intriguing arguments goes beyond technique and toward knowledge and cooperation.. The co-author noted that if an invasive procedure is involved. trust matters: a person with the problem would need someone capable of doing the work safely enough for the patient to benefit from the outcome.. He also suggested that relief would likely come after significant discomfort. implying that the patient needed some understanding—or at least a shared expectation—that the process could ultimately help.
The tooth is also framed as a clue to social and behavioral complexity. offering a window into how these populations related to one another.. As the researchers see it. the molar contributes to a larger picture of Neanderthals’ capacities. potentially including manual dexterity fine enough to drill into a tooth and carry out a controlled task.
Even so, questions remain about how to interpret wear and the role of the environment.. The independent bioarchaeologist said it is possible that a hole could have enlarged over time from repeated contact and wear with many materials outside the body.. She also emphasized that her view is open: she would not be surprised if Neanderthals could treat cavities. given other evidence that they were intelligent and adaptable to challenging situations.
In this context. the study’s central claim—whether the mark is truly the product of a planned dental intervention—touches on a deeply human problem: toothache and the lengths people will go to relieve it.. For now. the findings add weight to the idea that Neanderthals may have developed a surprising set of skills. while also highlighting why interpretation in archaeology often depends on more than a single remarkable object.
Neanderthals dental archaeology micro-CT scanning stone tools PLOS One Chagyrskaya Cave human evolution