The reason for this difference has stumped paleoanthropologists for years, but new research has identified a tantalizing clue.
Schuh is the studys first author.
Neanderthal faces also experience a dramatic expansion during childhood and adolescence.
A Neanderthal skill (left) and a modern human skull (right).© Philipp Gunz, License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Earlier growth cessation is a distinctive feature of our species, Schuh toldLive Science.
We have identified a unique developmental pattern seen exclusively inHomo sapiens.
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