Imagine visiting the dentist 60,000 years ago. That’s exactly what a recent archaeological discovery suggests happened to a Neanderthal in Siberia. A remarkable tooth, unearthed from an ancient site, bears a perfectly drilled hole—likely made by a stone tool. This find pushes back the earliest known evidence of intentional dentistry by tens of thousands of years and challenges our understanding of Neanderthal intelligence and culture. In this listicle, we explore eight fascinating details about this groundbreaking discovery and what it tells us about our ancient relatives.
