International research led by the University of Cologne has shown that the birch tara material traditionally associated with the manufacture of tools by the neanderthalshas properties antibacterial that could have been used intentionally by these hominids to treat wounds.

The findings, published in the journal PLOS Oneprovide a new perspective on the medical capabilities of this extinct species.

The research team, made up of scientists from the University of Cologne, the University of Oxford, the University of Liège and Cape Breton University in Canada, set out to analyze the antimicrobial potential of the birkenpech (birch tar) using only production techniques that, according to the archaeological record, were within the reach of Neanderthals.

He birch tar It is a viscous mass obtained from the bark of this tree, whose remains are common in European sites from the Middle Paleolithic. Traditionally, archaeologists have interpreted these finds as evidence of their use as adhesive for holding lithic toolsa process that involves joining different pieces to create a composite utensil.

However, the appearance of new ethnographic data from various regions of the planet, added to a growing number of evidence on medicinal behaviors and the use of plants by Neanderthalshas led researchers to rethink the functions of this material.

According to Tjaark Siemssen, from the universities of Cologne and Oxford and first author of the study, the interest in exploring the medical use of tar arose precisely from this confluence of evidence: New studies suggest that birch tar could have been used for other purposes. Ethnographic findings in global contexts show that it also has medicinal applications. As there is increasing evidence of medical behaviors and plant use among Neanderthals, we were interested in exploring birch tar in this context..

To carry out the research, the scientists experimentally produced the tar using two specific methods that have been documented in the Neanderthal archaeological record. The first involved burying birch bark in a sealed pit underground and burning it in an oxygen-limited environment. This dry distillation process allows the bark to decompose without completely burning, leaving only tar as a residue.

The second replicated technique involved burning the bark on a hard surface, such as a stone, on which the product condensed during the burning process. In both cases, birch species that existed in the area were used. Pleistocenethus ensuring that the samples obtained were comparable to those that Neanderthals would have had at their disposal.

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Once the experimental samples were obtained, the researchers proceeded to evaluate their antimicrobial properties under laboratory conditions. The results were conclusive: all samples of birch tar produced by Neanderthal methods demonstrated a significant ability to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureusa pathogenic bacteria that plays a central role in wound infections and is currently known for its multiple resistance to conventional antibiotics, constituting one of the main nosocomial pathogens worldwide.

The antibacterial efficacy was consistently manifested in all samples, regardless of the production method used, suggesting that the antimicrobial properties of tar are inherent to the material in itself and not an accidental byproduct of a specific technique.

This uniformity in the results leads the authors to propose that not only the availability of the material, but also its medicinal qualities, could have been a factor recognized and potentially taken advantage of by Neanderthal groups. The findings indicate that antimicrobial properties already played a role in the time of the first Neanderthals and could be used intentionallysays Siemssen.

The relevance of this study transcends the strictly archaeological field. While the results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of Neanderthal culture, moving it away from views that limited its capabilities to exclusively technical functions, the authors also underline the importance of these findings in the context of current medicine.

The global increase in bacterial strains resistant to conventional antibiotics has generated a growing need to explore new pharmacological sources. In this sense, the investigation of compounds with antimicrobial properties present in ethnographic contexts and, as this work demonstrates, even in prehistoric contexts, opens lines of research for the development of new therapeutic agents.

Siemssen concludes by highlighting the relevance of this interdisciplinary approach: Our results show that it may be worth examining in more depth specific-acting antibiotics from ethnographic contexts or, as in this case, also from prehistoric contexts..

The research provides solid experimental evidence on the medical capabilities of neanderthalsand establishes a bridge between experimental archeology and contemporary pharmacology, demonstrating that knowledge about the healing properties of certain natural resources could be much older than previously assumed.