Create a list of articles to read later. You will be able to access your list from any article in Discover.
You don't have any saved articles.
Neanderthal teeth from La Cotte de St Brelade, Jersey have features hinting at interbreeding with modern humans
Experts from the Natural History Museum, UCL Institute of Archaeology, the University of Kent, and four other organisations have restudied thirteen Neanderthal teeth, which were discovered at the site of La Cotte de St Brelade, Jersey.
The teeth were previously recorded as belonging to a single Neanderthal individual. However, the new research found that the teeth are from at least two adult individuals who share the same distinctive features, suggesting traits prevalent in their population.
The specimens were found in 1910 and 1911 during excavations run by the Société Jersiaise and were discovered preserved on a small granite ledge within the cave. The researchers were surprised to find that these features, which elsewhere are considered to be typical of either Neanderthal or modern humans, are found in combination in this population. While all the teeth have Neanderthal characteristics, several of the teeth lack features normally found in these ancient humans, and certain aspects of their shape are typical of modern humans.
Excavations continued until 1920 and recovered over 20,000 stone tools assigned to the Middle Palaeolithic, a technology associated with the Neanderthals in Europe. Recent dating work funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) on nearby cave deposits suggested a probable age of less than 48,000 years for the teeth. This suggests they could have represented some of the youngest Neanderthal remains known (the Neanderthals are believed to have disappeared about 40,000 years ago).
Research Leader Prof Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum said: ‘Given that modern humans overlapped with Neanderthals in some parts of Europe after 45,000 years ago, the unusual features of these La Cotte individuals suggest that they could have had a dual Neanderthal-modern human ancestry. This idea of a hybrid population could be tested by the recovery of ancient DNA from the teeth, something that is now under investigation.’
Renewed excavations at the site, funded by Jersey Heritage, began in 2019. Dr Matt Pope, who is leading the excavations for UCL’s Institute of Archaeology, said: ‘This work offers us a glimpse of a new and intriguing population of Neanderthal people and opens the door to a new phase of discovery at the site. We will now work with Jersey Heritage to recover new finds and fossils from La Cotte de St Brelade, undertake a new programme analysis with our scientific colleagues, and put in place engineering to protect this very vulnerable site for the future. It will be a mammoth project and one to watch for those fascinated by our closest evolutionary relatives.’
The teeth are now on permanent display at Jersey Museum & Art Gallery. Jersey Heritage, who look after the finds and the site itself, are excited about the discovery. Their Curator of Archaeology Olga Finch said: ‘La Cotte de St Brelade is a site of huge importance and it continues to reveal stories about our ancient predecessors. Jersey Heritage has made a big investment to secure La Cotte against the challenges posed by climate change and work continues to find the funding for further protection and research at this ancient site, where so much more waits to be discovered.’
The microtomographic scans (3D x-rays) of all the La Cotte de St. Brelade fossil hominin specimens are publicly available on The Human Fossil Record, an online archive of digital media and information about the fossil record of humans. Prof. Matt Skinner from the University of Kent said: ‘Through our collaboration with Jersey Heritage anyone can examine these fossils virtually, but also download surface models and 3D print them if they want to have their own high-resolution copies for teaching or just to put them on their mantlepiece. They are the next best thing to the fossils themselves.’
The paper was published in the Journal of Human Evolution.
Notes for editors
Media contact: Tel: +44 (0)779 969 0151 Email: press@nhm.ac.uk
About the Natural History Museum:
The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world.
It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens. The scale of this collection enables researchers from all over the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes - which is vital in helping predict what might happen in the future and informing future policies and plans to help the planet.
The Museum’s 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science is contributing critical data to help the global fight to save the future of the planet from the major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss through to finding solutions such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources.
The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome over five million visitors each year; our digital output reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries each month and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 30 million people in the last 10 years.
UCL Institute of Archaeology
The UCL Institute of Archaeology is one of the largest centres for archaeology, cultural heritage and museum studies in the UK. Founded in 1937, it is one of the very few places in the world actively pursuing research on a global scale in the archaeological sciences, heritage studies and world archaeology.