Overview

• A Science Advances paper confirmed a Neanderthal bone grease processing operation at Neumark-Nord 2 dating back 125,000 years
• Excavations yielded over 100,000 bone fragments from at least 172 large mammals, including deer and horses, with clear signs of systematic crushing and boiling
• Separate zones for deer butchering, elephant processing and centralized fat rendering reveal an organized division of labor and strategic planning
• Exceptional preservation of the Neumark-Nord interglacial landscape offers unprecedented context for Neanderthal ecological impact and technological sophistication
• Research teams are now investigating precise boiling methods, pond-storage caching systems and surveying additional European sites to chart the spread of this early fat-processing technology