A scientist says comparing the teeth of Neanderthals with modern Inuit shows that life was no more difficult for the ancient humans than the modern ones.
Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg, a professor at Ohio State University, examined defects in tooth enamel that are markers of periods of poor nutrition in childhood. She found similar patterns in the Neanderthals, who lived in Ice Age Europe from 200,000 to 30,000 years ago and the Inuit, who have lived in the Arctic for the last few thousand years. In fact, her study shows that the Inuit have endured slightly longer periods of starvation.
The Neanderthals were replaced by modern humans, homo sapiens, who arrived in Europe about 40,000 years ago, bringing with them more advanced technology.
"The evidence shows that Neanderthals were no worse off than the Inuit who lived in equally harsh environmental conditions," Guatelli-Steinberg said. "It is somewhat startling that Neanderthals weren't suffering as badly as people had thought, relative to a modern human group (the Inuits)."
Guatelli-Steinberg next plans to study the teeth of the Cro-Magnon people, the first modern Europeans. She reported her findings in Science.
© Copyright 2004 by United Press International
