Skulls reveal Neandertal’s hodge-podge genealogy

Fossil treasure trove shows nuances in hominid family tree

NEANDERTAL IN THE MAKING  Hominids living in Spain some 400,000 years ago had facial features of Neandertals, such as the protruding teeth and lack of a chin seen in this newly analyzed fossil, but had not yet evolved the big brain cases seen 200,000 years later in full-blown Neandertals. 

© Javier Trueba/Madrid Scientific Films

 

The Neandertal branch of the hominid family tree just got a lot more shrublike.