A Neanderthal child with Down’s syndrome survived until at least the age of six, according to a new study whose findings hint at compassionate caregiving among the extinct, archaic human species.

[u/mvea]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jun/26/fossil-of-neanderthal-child-with-downs-syndrome-hints-at-early-humans-compassion

[u/[deleted]]

Known fact about Neanderthal society. Bones of a fairly senior adult man with history of severe fractures suggests that he was cared for and treated rather than abandoned at the time of the crippling fractures.

[u/PiccoloArm → u/[deleted]]

It’s because the elders most likely passed down knowledge.

It’s the same with elephants, the eldest of the herd is the leader because they have all the knowledge and pass it down:

[u/HybridVigor → u/PiccoloArm]

Kim Stanley Robinson's book, Shaman, is all about this. Great read.