Neandertals made antibacterial ointment, but may not have known it
An experiment re-creating a Neandertal adhesive revealed its potential to heal wounds
An ancient process that Neandertals may have used to turn birch bark (left) into a tar (condensing on a rock, middle) created a substance that easily stuck to skin (right). Re-creations of that substance show it had antibacterial properties.
TJAARK SIEMSSEN (CC-BY 4.0)