A large study of the growth records preserved in fossil Neandertal teeth indicates that these controversial members of the Homo line, despite possessing large brains, grew to adulthood in a surprisingly short time span. Regarded by many scientists as a distinct species that lived from around 130,000 to 28,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East, Neandertals reached physical maturity by age 15, according to a report in the April 29 Nature.
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