Neanderthal woman nicknamed Nana

The Neanderthal woman nicknamed Nana, reconstructed at the Gibraltar Museum, with feathers. (S. Finlayson/Gibraltar National Museum)

Trail of feathers to the Neanderthal mind In his new book The Smart Neanderthal, palaeoanthropologist Clive Finlayson makes the claim that Neanderthals were our cognitive equals — and that birds had a part to play in that. Finlayson — a passionate amateur birdwatcher — offers insight into human and Neanderthal behaviour gleaned from long-neglected fossil evidence of their interaction with birds. Nature | 5 min read