A 60,000-year-old Neanderthal tooth left behind in a cave in modern-day Russia contains a deep hole that cannot be explained by decay alone.
The tooth is a molar from the lower left jaw of a Neanderthal, an extinct relative of modern humans.
This prehistoric human had a bad tooth infection, probably for a long while.
At a time when finding food was difficult enough and pain relief was in its infancy, a toothache that prevented a person from eating could become a life-or-death matter.
Eventually, it must have become such a problem for this Neanderthal that they were willing to go to extreme measures to relieve it.
