New Delhi, May 31 -- Researchers in Spain may have found one of the oldest symbolic objects with a human fingerprint ever recorded in Europe. The small pebble, discovered in the San Lazaro rock shelter in Segovia, could be linked to Neanderthals.

Experts believe this shows that Neanderthals may have created symbolic art, like cave paintings. The pebble was found under 1.5 metres of soil during a 2022 excavation.

Forensic experts helped study the print. This discovery supports the idea that Neanderthals, who lived over 40,000 years ago, were more like modern humans than we used to believe.

Scientists now believe Neanderthals had more imagination than once thought. The pebble with red ochre suggests they could see faces in objects, much ...