Neanderthals used antibiotics, new experiment suggests

Our ancient ancestors loved their birch tar. Neanderthals likely used this sticky substance to make and repair tools, but it may have had another important use as well. Thanks to its antibiotic properties, birch tar could also treat wounds. The results are detailed in a study published today in the journal PLOS One.

Long considered one of the least advanced Homo species, recent studies have shown that Neanderthals made tools, collected random objects, and even created works of art using a type of pencil. Archaeologists frequently find birch tar at Neanderthal archaeological sites, which comes from birch trees. Some researchers wonder if Neanderthals used it for more than just making tools. Indigenous communities in northern Europe and Canada treated wounds with birch tar, and there is growing evidence that Neanderthals employed a variety of medical practices, including helping sick or injured comrades.

To study the medicinal potential of birch tar, the team extracted the tar from modern birch bark, specifically targeting tree species known from Neanderthal sites. They used several extraction methods that Neanderthals would have used, including distilling the tar in a clay pit and condensing it on a stone surface.

“The messiness of birch tar production deserves special mention,” the study’s co-authors wrote in a joint statement. “Each stage of production is a sensory experience in itself, and getting rid of the tar after spending hours near the fire has been a challenge every time. »

In the laboratory, the team exposed the tar samples to different strains of bacteria. All tar samples were effective in hindering the growth of Staphylococcus bacteria known to cause wound infections.

According to the team, these experiments support the effectiveness of indigenous medicinal practices and also reinforce the possibility that Neanderthals used birch tar to treat their own wounds. It may also have been used as an insect repellent.

“We found that birch tar produced by Neanderthals and early humans had antibacterial properties,” the team said. “This has important implications for how Neanderthals may have mitigated the burden of disease during the last ice ages, and adds to a growing body of evidence on health care in these early human communities.”

Future studies into the potential uses of these natural ingredients could also lead to a deeper understanding of a lost Neanderthal culture and could have a direct impact on the future of medicine as antibiotic resistance grows.

“By bringing together research on indigenous pharmacology and experimental archaeology, we are beginning to understand the medicinal practices of our distant human ancestors and their closest cousins,” the team concluded. “Additionally, this study of ‘paleopharmacology’ may contribute to the rediscovery of antibiotic cures as we face an increasingly pressing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.”

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