FAMILY MATTERS

Ancient Remnants of First Known Neanderthal Family Discovered in Siberia

Found across two Russian cave sites, the small clan of 13 likely lived—and died—as a tight-knit band more than 50,000 years ago.

The first known Neanderthal family has been found by researchers, with their prehistoric DNA providing fresh insight into the archaic species’ social dynamics. In a study published Wednesday in Nature, researchers said they were able to extract DNA from tiny bone fragments discovered in two Russian caves, allowing them to map an extended family of 13 members, including a definitive link between father and a teenage daughter. The small clan lived together in Siberia more than 50,000 years ago, according to scientists. They are also believed to have died together—potentially from starvation. “When I work on a bone or two, it’s very easy to forget that these are actually people with their own lives and stories,” said Bence Viola, an anthropologist at the University of Toronto involved in the study, according to the Associated Press. “Figuring out how they’re related to each other really makes them much more human.”