Young Neanderthals had no time for imaginary “what if?” games (Image: Sebastien Plailly/SPL)
WATCHING a group of 5-year-olds chasing each other in a park it is easy to forget that child’s play is a serious business. Through play children figure out how to interact socially, practice problem-solving and learn to innovate, skills that will be indispensable to them as adults. But if experiences gained during play are so crucial for cognitive development, what would it mean if a species had a shorter childhood?
This is exactly the case for our closest relatives, the Neanderthals. Behaviourally they were very similar to…
