The Neanderthal's nose was not so prodigious, nor does it explain his adaptation to the cold.

BarcelonaBetween 130,000 and 172,000 years ago, a Neanderthal became trapped inside a cavity in Altamura (Apulia, Italy). Over the years, it remained uncovered by sediment and protected by a thin layer of calcite. This resulted in its exceptional preservation: even the delicate internal structures of the nose have been preserved. The skull, discovered in 1993, has never been moved, but it has been analyzed by a team of researchers from various Italian universities, the IPHES-BÚSQUEDA research group, and the Rovira i Virgili University (URV). Their conclusion is that the interior of the nasal cavity is not exceptional and does not explain why Neanderthals survived the final phases of the European Pleistocene, when the climate was frigid. However, their body proportions clearly reflect this adaptation. This is a debate that has lasted for decades within the scientific community. It was known that the nose was exceptional externally, but there was a theory that it might have had unique internal features within the nasal cavity (autapomorphies) that would have compensated for this apparent lack of external adaptation. "The nasal laminae and bony structures allow the air to be warmed before it reaches the lungs," explains Carlos Lorenzo, professor at the URV, researcher at IPHES-BÚSQUEDA, and co-author of the article. "With this study, we have been able to verify that these structures do not allow for a sufficiently complex pathway to explain the adaptation."

"Several authors had suggested diagnostic features based on incomplete evidence. Altamura finally demonstrates that these features do not exist: even without these supposed adaptations, the Neanderthal nose was perfectly efficient in responding to the high energy demands of the species under investigation."

Bones trapped between stalactites

The study also reveals that the characteristic shape of the Neanderthal face likely did not develop as a direct response to respiratory needs. According to the authors, this trait resulted from a combination of diverse evolutionary pressures that shaped a face distinct from our own: the face projected noticeably forward in the area of the nose and upper teeth, but not so much in the lower jaw.

"Observation of the nasal cavity from Altamura indicates that it only follows midfacial prognathism in its most anterior part, without substantial changes in its functional area," explains Costantino Buzi, a researcher at the University of Perugia. "We can conclude that the nose is not the conditioned evolutionary driver. Other adaptive pressures and constraints shaped the Neanderthal face, thus generating a configuration different from ours but fully functional in the harsh climate of the Late Pleistocene of Europe." The research has included generating a complete three-dimensional model of the nasal cavity from endoscopic images, a tool that opens the door to future studies on Neanderthal respiratory performance and their physiological adaptations. Accessing and virtually studying the skull has not been easy. Its location is quite exceptional, and it was discovered by a group of speleologists. After descending more than 15 meters through a vertical shaft, they entered a network of passages where the walls were covered with animal bones trapped between stalactites and stalagmites. At the end of this passage, they discovered a small chamber in which, amidst a large column of calcite covered in coralloids, an extraordinarily well-preserved human skull protruded. Subsequent explorations confirmed that, in addition to the skull, numerous bones from the same individual existed, who was dubbed the "Altamura Man." The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.