59,000-year-old Neanderthal Molar Shows Oldest Known Dental Drilling

Context Researchers uncovered the tooth in sediment dated to about 59,000 years ago. It shows a large cavity on the chewing surface that extends into the inner pulp, where nerves and blood vessels reside. Such exposure would kill the nerve and relieve pain from infection.

Key Facts - The hole’s walls display fine scratches consistent with deliberate drilling rather than natural wear. - Lead researcher Alisa Zubova noted that the possibility of intentional work "demanded special analysis." - To test the hypothesis, the team used scanning electron microscopes, micro‑CT scans, and Raman spectroscopy to examine the tooth’s surface and chemistry. - They replicated a stone drill from local materials and used it on three modern human teeth, producing marks that matched those on the Neanderthal molar. - The drilled hole reaches the pulp chamber, a depth of roughly 2-3 mm in this molar, indicating removal of infected tissue.

What It Means This discovery pushes back the timeline of therapeutic intervention by tens of thousands of years, showing that Neanderthals understood basic pain relief through invasive procedures. It suggests a level of medical knowledge and caregiving previously attributed only to much later Homo sapiens.

What to watch next Future studies will look for similar wear patterns on other Pleistocene teeth and attempt to identify the plant or mineral substances that might have been used alongside drilling for antiseptic effects.