A Neanderthal skeleton showing signs of severe trauma has been discovered.

What it means

A newly analyzed ~75,000-year-old Neanderthal partial skeleton from Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan shows a severely smashed jaw that had healed and a small round hole through the shoulder blade consistent with a spear strike that was probably fatal — indicating both care after injury and likely violent death, possibly one of the earliest examples of Neanderthal-on-Neanderthal killing.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim is based on a fresh study of remains from Shanidar Cave, reported today by New Scientist and Reuters, which are reputable outlets citing the researchers' findings directly; the underlying peer-reviewed paper has not been independently examined here, but the reporting is consistent across sources and close to the primary source.

How new

Genuinely new: reported today (15 October 2026), not a recirculation.

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