Amputation in a 31,000-year-old skeleton may be a sign of prehistoric medical advances

Dr. Tim Maloney and Andika Priyatno work at the site in a cave in East Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia, on March 2, 2020. The remains, which have been dated to 31,000 years old, mark the oldest evidence for amputation yet discovered. (Tim Maloney/Griffith University via AP)

NEW YORK — The 31,000-year-old skeleton of a young adult found in a cave in Indonesia that is missing its left foot and part of its left leg reveal the oldest known evidence of an amputation, according to a new study.

Scientists say the amputation was performed when the person was a child — and that the "patient" went on to live for years as an amputee. The prehistoric surgery could show that humans were making medical advances much earlier than previously thought, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.