cwl

Neanderthals With Disabilities Survived Through Social Support

A re-analysis of a 50,000 year old Neanderthal skull shows that, in addition to enduring multiple injuries and debilitations, this male individual was also profoundly deaf. Yet he lived well into his 40s, which is quite old by Paleolithic standards. It’s an achievement that could have only been possible with the help of others, according to new research.

gizmodo.com|George Dvorsky

When the remains of this older Neanderthal were discovered at Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1957, his many physical injuries and disabilities were immediately apparent. Analysis of his skull showed that he suffered a crushing blow to the head near his eye socket when he was young, likely causing some visual impairment. His right hand and forearm were missing, the result of an amputation. He likely walked with a serious gait, and he suffered from hyperostotic disease (DISH), which is associated with muscular pain and reduced mobility along the spine.

But a new analysis of this specimen, known as Shanidar 1, shows he had another major disability—one not noticed during earlier examinations. New research published in PLOS One reveals that the bony growths found in this Neanderthal’s ear canals would have resulted in serious hearing loss. So this Paleolithic-era hunter-gatherer, according to the updated analysis conducted by anthropologists Erik Trinkaus from Washington University in St. Louis and Sébastien Villotte of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, was profoundly deaf.

Yet despite his deafness and his other physical setbacks, Shanidar 1 died between 40 and 50 years of age (based on dental analysis). By Paleolithic standards, he was an old man. The only way he could have lived to such a ripe old age is by receiving considerable help from others. “More than his loss of a forearm, bad limp and other injuries, his deafness would have made him easy prey for the ubiquitous carnivores in his environment and dependent on other members of his social group for survival,” said Trinkaus in a statement.

Trinkaus and Villotte says it’s not surprising that his fellow Neanderthals were able and willing to provide this level of social support. Profoundly, these extinct humans buried their dead, a funeral act that anthropologists say is indicative of social cohesion, social roles, and mutual support. What’s more, Neanderthals used pigments and feathers to modify their appearance, which the authors say is “a reflection of social identity manipulation and social cohesion.” To say Neanderthals cared for the physically impaired is therefore not a stretch.

The entangled pearl necklaces pictured above are actually droplets of dew on a spider web.

The subtle colors displayed here resulted when sunlight illuminated the web, creating a multitude of rainbow fragments. Note that, in general, the smaller dew drops, residing on the thinnest silk strands, are nearly colorless.

With these smaller drop sizes, wave interference acts to diminish coloration because colors tend to overlap one another.

eatshitwhiteboy:

kenobi-wan-obi:

gimme an xmen spinoff about a group of black kids from the hood that start finding out about their powers and tell a story that shows em navigating their spaces while black and dealing with shit like mutant+racial profiling, discrimination etc. have them dealing with being a mutant while black and the implications it would have on them as mutant kids.

PLEASE GOD

idk why hollywood stay puttin out trash stories when ppl on tumblr is giving great ideas like this.