Science Reveals Neanderthals Had Dentists 60,000 Years Ago
About this episode
The episode discusses the discovery of ancient dental practices among Neanderthals and a potential religious practice indicated by an ancient kneeprint.
Episode 369 A strange tooth found in a Siberian cave has pushed back the earliest evidence of dentistry by 45,000 years. The weird thing is, the evidence comes from a Neanderthal tooth - upending what we thought these ancient humans were capable of. Markings on the 60,000-year-old molar show Neanderthals may have used stone tools to “drill” the tooth to treat dental decay. A team of scientists has recreated the experience - and it sounds gruesome. And that’s not all for Neanderthal news - as archaeologists have discovered an ancient kneeprint made in clay around 175,000 years ago. It was found in a cave containing a mysterious stalagmite circle that may have been deliberately constructed. Could this suggest Neanderthals were engaging in some sort of religious practice? Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by New Scientist’s Sam Wong and Michael le Page to discuss these two discoveries Listen to Change Your Mind, the new podcast from New Scientist: https://podfollow.com/1896636265 To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Hosts: Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet
Guests: Sam Wong, Michael le Page
Topics covered
- Neanderthals
- dentistry
- archaeology
- ancient practices
- scientific discoveries
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Siberian
More episodes of The World, the Universe and Us
- DeepMind Is Simulating Entire Worlds - Ready for AI Robots
- Ötzi the Ice Man Contains Still-Living Microbes
- The Thwaites 'Doomsday' glacier's ice shelf is about to break away
- Some Scientists Want To Resurrect Extinct Species – Is It Even Possible?
- The Hidden Methane Time Bomb That Could Accelerate The Climate Crisis
- Scientists Concerned By a Sudden Increase in the Rate of Sea Level Rise
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The World, the Universe and Us podcast page.