A detailed analysis of 111 bones belonging to Amud 7, a Neanderthal infant buried in a cave near the Sea of Galilee in Israel between 51,000 and 56,000 years ago, has found that the child displayed distinctly Neanderthal physical traits at just six months of age, suggesting these characteristics were deeply rooted in biology rather than shaped by environment or behaviour. Published in Current Biology, the study found a marked discrepancy between the infant's dental age and the size and ossification of its skeleton, which corresponded to that of a modern human infant several months older — pointing to a faster rate of bodily and brain growth in Neanderthal children. Researchers say the finding, consistent with evidence from other Neanderthal infant remains found across Europe and the Middle East, likely reflects differences in the regulation of gene expression during development and may help explain how Neanderthals adapted to the harsher climatic conditions of Eurasia.