A digital analysis of the perfectly preserved nose bones on a bizarre-looking Neanderthal skull reveals that a long-standing theory about Neanderthal noses doesn't pass the sniff test.
The skull comes from the "Altamura Man," one of the most complete and best-preserved Neanderthal skeletons ever found. Speleologists discovered it in 1993 while exploring a cave near the town of Altamura, in southern Italy. Because it is covered in a thick layer of calcite, or "cave popcorn," Altamura Man has not been removed from the cave, to prevent damage to the bones. This Neanderthal likely died in the exact place the skeleton was found, between 130,000 and 172,000 years ago.
-copy-dd1f2bf0.jpeg?w=600)
