Study: Neanderthals Performed Dentistry 59K Years Ago
The Spin
Narrative A
The 59,000-year-old molar from Chagyrskaya Cave proves Neanderthals performed intentional dental surgery — drilling out infected tissue with stone tools, long before any known human medical procedure. The hole's shape, microscopic scratch patterns and signs of long-term post-procedure tooth wear all confirm this was skilled, targeted treatment. Neanderthals weren't primitive brutes; they diagnosed pain, selected tools and endured invasive procedures to heal.
Narrative B
Calling this a "root canal" wildly overstates what the evidence actually shows — no sealing, no sterilization, no proof of genuine medical understanding. A drilled-looking hole in an ancient tooth could easily reflect postmortem damage or basic scraping rather than intentional surgery. Sensational headlines keep getting ahead of the careful, skeptical scientific consensus this kind of extraordinary claim genuinely demands.