Neanderthals May Have Used Birch Tar As Ancient Antibiotic, Study Finds

Neanderthals May Have Used Birch Tar As Ancient Antibiotic, Study Finds

A new study explores whether birch tar, long associated with Neanderthal toolmaking, may have served another purpose as well. In a new study from the University of Cologne, the University of Oxford, the University of Liège, and Cape Breton University in Canada, researchers recreated birch tar using techniques associated with Neanderthals and tested whether it [...]

Neanderthals May Have Fought Infections 50,000 Years Ago

Neanderthals, our ancient human relatives, might have been more advanced in health practices than previously believed. A recent study indicates they could have used a sticky substance called birch tar not only for crafting tools but also for wound care and infection prevention. Birch tar is a dark, glue-like substance produced by heating birch bark. Archaeologists often find it at Neanderthal sites, traditionally thought to be used mainly as an …

How did Neanderthals use birch tar?

Neanderthals may have used birch tar as an antibiotic Experiments suggest birch tar—made from birch bark and long associated with Neanderthal toolmaking—could also have helped protect them from infection. Researchers tested tar produced from birch bark against harmful bacteria commonly implicated…