Neanderthal Remains Those of Woman, Child

Archeologists have discovered the bones of a Neanderthal woman and child in the German valley where the original Neanderthal Man was found about 150 years ago. Neanderthals died out about 30,000 years ago, and scientists say they are not direct ancestors of modern humans. The species is named after a village near Dusseldorf where the first Neanderthal remains were discovered in the summer of 1856.

Archeologists said they had determined that arm bones and a milk tooth found about two years ago were those of a woman and child who lived about 40,000 years ago. “The arm bones probably belonged to a woman. They are more fragile than those of the Neanderthal Man. And the milk tooth is that of a 12-year-old child,” said Gerd-Christian Wen- iger, director of the Neanderthal Museum, where the remains are displayed. Weniger said it was not certain whether the three Neanderthals had lived at the same time. “They were all around about 40,000 years ago. But they could have lived a thousand years apart,” he said.