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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Neandertals Had Big Mouths, Gaped Widely


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A Neandertal skull found in the Lower Galilee region of Israel displays a wide gap between the vertical part of the jaw and the wisdom teeth.

This gap, combined with other unique facial structures, allowed Neandertals to open their mouths very wide, although researchers are still not sure why they had this ability.

Photograph courtesy Yoel Rak