Stunningly Well-Preserved Neanderthal Skull Suggests the Species' Large Noses Weren't Adapted for the Cold

Stunningly Well-Preserved Neanderthal Skull Suggests the Species' Large Noses Weren't Adapted for the Cold

A new study analyzes the nasal cavity of the "Altamura Man," a Neanderthal who died between 130,000 and 172,000 years ago

Scientists Just Found a Neanderthal’s Skull with Its Nose in Perfect Condition

Scientists believed that Neanderthals’ large noses were built to warm cold air, an essential adaptation to the icy landscapes they inhabited. But a new analysis of a nearly perfectly preserved Neanderthal skull has thrown that theory into question. Researchers studying the fossil, called Altamura Man, discovered that his nasal passages may not have been as specialized for cold as previously thought. The Altamura Man fossil, one of the most compl…