Германы Баварийн агуйгаас олдсон неандертал хүний ясны үлдэгдлүүд нь бидний эртний төрөл төрөгсдийн төрөхийн өмнөх хөгжил болон бага насны эрүүл мэндийн талаарх шинэ мэдээллийг өгч байна.
Германы Эрланген хотын музейд хадгалагдаж байсан, 1960-аад болон 1970-аад оны үед Сесселфелсгротте агуйгаас олдсон 50,000-аас 75,000 жилийн тэртээх ясны хэлтэрхийг орчин үеийн компьютер томографын (CT) аргаар шинжилжээ. Судалгаагаар 12 ширхэг яс нь төрөхийн өмнөх 8-9 сартай урагт хамаарч байсныг тогтоосон бөгөөд уг ургийн өсөлтийн хэв шинж нь орчин үеийн хүний урагтай ихээхэн төстэй болох нь батлагдсан байна.
Түүнчлэн судлаачид хоёр өөр хүүхдийн сүүн шүдэнд шинжилгээ хийхэд шүдний паалан бүрэн бэхжээгүй согог илэрчээ. Энэ нь кальцийн дутагдал эсвэл бодисын солилцооны хямралаас үүдэлтэй байж болох ч яг хэзээ тохиолдсоныг тогтоох боломжгүй байна.
Дэлхий даяар неандертал хүний ураг болон нярайн олдвор арав хүрэхгүй байдаг тул энэхүү нээлт нь хүн төрөлхтний хувьслын түүхэн дэх хөгжлийн явцыг ойлгоход чухал ач холбогдолтой юм. Судалгааны багийн ахлагч Жастина Мишкевичийн онцолсноор, ийм ховор олдворууд нь бидний өвөг дээдсийн хөгжлийн онцлог болон орчин үеийн хүн төрөлхтөнтэй ижил төстэй талуудыг илүү тодорхой болгож байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A handful of tiny Neanderthal bones and teeth have given scientists an unusually close look at the earliest stages of life in our extinct relatives. A new study found that a Neanderthal fetus grew much like a modern human before birth, while two children’s teeth show signs of what may have been metabolic stress.
The fossils were uncovered decades ago at Sesselfelsgrotte, a cave in Bavaria, during excavations in the 1960s and 1970s. Because the remains were so small, they were not identified as Neanderthal until the 1990s. They then sat in a museum collection in Erlangen, Germany, until researchers examined them using modern CT scanning.
Published in Royal Society Open Science, the research centers on what appears to be an unborn Neanderthal baby and two juvenile molars dating to around 50,000 to 75,000 years ago. With fewer than ten Neanderthal fetuses and infants ever identified, these fossils provide a rare chance to explore how the species developed before and shortly after birth.
Inside a Neanderthal Before Birth
As explained in the latest research, the team scanned twelve bone fragments, including parts of the femur, humerus, ribs, jaw, and skull. The remains are thought to belong to a fetus that was about eight to nine months into development, meaning it was close to birth.
The scans showed that the bones were still growing quickly, with the tissue packed with blood vessels, a normal feature at this stage of development. Much of that growth followed patterns seen in modern human fetuses.
There was one small difference. Parts of the femur and humerus appeared slightly more developed than expected for a modern human fetus at the same stage. Even so, the overall picture suggests that Neanderthals and modern humans shared very similar prenatal growth.
Lead author Justyna Miszkiewicz said in a press release provided by theUniversity of Queensland (UQ News):
“These tiny remnants provide an incredible glimpse into our human evolutionary history,” she said. “It’s important to understand where we came from and the ways in which we’re similar.”
Tiny Teeth Hint At Health Problems Early In Life
The researchers also examined two baby molars that likely belonged to two different Neanderthal children. Inside the teeth, the scans revealed small areas that had failed to harden completely during development.
The team identified these patches as interglobular dentine, a defect that can be linked to problems with calcium metabolism. The paper notes that vitamin D deficiency, calcium deficiency, or reduced calcium absorption are all possible explanations.
Co-lead author Ricardo Miguel Godinho said the lesions could point to one of those conditions, although the available evidence is not enough to determine the exact cause.
Because Neanderthal baby teeth begin forming during the third trimester of pregnancy and continue developing until about two years of age, the defects likely record a period of physiological stress somewhere during that time. The researchers say they cannot determine exactly when it occurred.
Rare Fossils Expand the Neanderthal Story
Neanderthal fetuses and infants are among the rarest human fossils ever discovered. The research team says fewer than ten have been found anywhere in the world, making the Sesselfelsgrotte remains especially valuable.
These fossils also come from some of the youngest Neanderthal individuals known so far. The study notes that Neanderthals lived alongside modern humans for roughly 5,000 years before disappearing from the fossil record.
“These tiny remnants provide an incredible glimpse into our human evolutionary history,” said Dr.Miszkiewicz. “It’s important to understand where we came from, and the ways in which we’re similar.”
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