75,000-year-old Neanderthal scapula shows fatal spear wound, first evidence of intergroup violence

A Neanderthal skeleton from western Asia, dated to 75,000 years ago, bears an oval hole in the left scapula consistent with a wooden spear wound, providing the earliest direct evidence of lethal interpersonal violence among Neanderthals. The finding challenges assumptions about Neanderthal behavior and suggests capacity for organized conflict. The claim is based on a single specimen and requires corroboration from additional archaeological context.