%0 Journal Article
%A Conde Valverde, Mercedes
%A Quirós Sánchez, Amara
%A Diez Valero, Julia
%A Mata Castro, Nieves
%A García Fernández, Alfredo
%A Quam, Rolf
%A Carretero, José Miguel
%A García González, Rebeca
%A Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
%A Villaverde Bonilla, Valentín
%T The child who lived: Down syndrome among Neanderthals?
%D 2024
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/106054
%X Caregiving for disabled individuals among Neanderthals has been known for a long time, and there is a debate about the implications of this behavior. Some authors believe that caregiving took place between individuals able to reciprocate the favor, while others argue that caregiving was produced by a feeling of compassion related to other highly adaptive prosocial behaviors. The study of children with severe pathologies is particularly interesting, as children have a very limited possibility to reciprocate the assistance. We present the case of a Neanderthal child who suffered from a congenital pathology of the inner ear, probably debilitating, and associated with Down syndrome. This child would have required care for at least 6 years, likely necessitating other group members to assist the mother in childcare
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