Altamura Man yields oldest Neanderthal DNA sample

Phys dot org ^ | Friday, April 03, 2015 | Bob Yirka

[SunkenCiv]

A team of researchers working in Italy has confirmed that Altamura Man was a Neanderthal and dating of pieces of calcite which were on the remains has revealed that the bones are 128,000 to 187,000 years old. In their paper published in the Journal of Human Evolution, the team describes how they extracted a small bone sample and examined it and what they found by doing so.

Altamura Man was discovered in a cave in southern Italy in 1993 by cave explorers. The finding was reported to researchers at the University of Bari. The remains were embedded in rock and were covered in a thick layer of calcite (they lie in a karst borehole rich in limestone amid running water.) It was thought that excavating the remains would cause irreparable damage and thus, they have remained in situ for over twenty years, leaving researchers to rely on casual observation for their studies. For that reason, there was some debate initially about morphology and age. Subsequent study led to a consensus that the remains (only the head and part of a shoulder are visible) were that of an archaic Neanderthal, of a Homo genus believed to have been widespread in Europe 200,000 to 40,000 years ago.

The researchers with the current project began their work six years ago -- a tiny part of shoulder bone (and stalactite fragments) was extracted and brought back to the lab for study. Analysis by Uranium-thorium dating revealed that the calcite was formed 172,000 to 130,000 years ago -- during the penultimate quaternary glaciations period. The team also reports that samples of DNA have also been retrieved from the sample, and because of the age, represent the oldest such samples ever recovered from Neanderthal remains.

[SunkenCiv]

Dates Obtained for Italy's Altamura Man -- Friday, April 03, 2015 -- A tiny piece of shoulder bone and stalactite fragments collected from Altamura Man have been tested by researchers led by Giorgio Manzi of the Sapienza University of Rome. The remains, discovered in 1993 by cave explorers, are embedded in the rock and have not been removed from the cave. Only the head and part of a shoulder are visible, and were thought to represent an archaic Neanderthal, which lived in Europe between 200,000 and 40,000 years ago. The new test results, publicized in Phys.org, support the identification of the individual as a Neanderthal who may have fallen in a well and gotten stuck. Uranium-thorium dating revealed that the calcite in the stalactite fragments was formed 172,000 to 130,000 years ago. DNA from the bone sample is thus the oldest ever recovered from Neanderthal remains. The next step is to try to sequence the DNA sample.

[SunkenCiv]

KEYWORDS: neandertal; neandertals; neanderthal; neanderthals

The Neandertal Enigma
by James Shreeve
in local libraries

"Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]

[1010RD]

Imagine being the explorers who discovered this. It must have been a real freak out for them.

Thanks for all you do and have a great Easter.

[Red Badger]

[martin_fierro]

[Patriot777]

Once they sequence the DNA they will find that ol’ “Neanderthal” man doesn’t exist, and he ain’t that old...

But will they truthfully publish their findings?

[SunkenCiv]

The DNA has been sequenced, Neandertal and living samples vary very little, and he is that old — and the findings have been published.

That makes you oh for four.

[SunkenCiv]

Must have been startling to spot it. Could easily have been mistaken a deceased hiker of recent centuries.

[Reynoldo]

He had healthy-looking teeth.

[Joe 6-pack]

Despite all their other cultural shortcomings, the Neanderthals were known for having very good dental plans.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)