Image of the Day: Ancient Footprints

A discovery of Neanderthal footprints reveals insights into the hominin’s social structure.

| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share

Researchers have found 257 Neanderthal footprints over a period of five years at the Le Rozel archaeological site in Manche, France. The footprints were made in soft, sandy ground approximately 80,000 years ago, a time when Neanderthals were the only hominin in Western Europe. The team, led by Jérémy Duveau at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, published its findings in PNAS September 9.

The group that made the prints is thought to have been made up of 10–14 individuals. Based on foot size and height estimates, the researchers determined that the majority were adolescents and children, with the youngest being around two years old.

According to the researchers, these tracks represent the largest assemblage of Neanderthal footprints to date and provide a unique source of information about the size and composition of a Neanderthal social group. This site and another in El Sidrón, Spain, are the only two in ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with lipid nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo
Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide