http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/10/neanderthal-children-shivered-and-suffered-ancient-europe

Tanya Smith taps into the record of growth, climate, and diet preserved in the enamel of a Neanderthal child who lived 250,000 years ago.

Pity the poor Neanderthal mother: She had to nurse her children through colder winters and more illnesses than the mothers of most prehistoric modern humans in Europe, according to a new study of the teeth of two Neanderthal kids who lived 250,000 years ago in France. And both Neanderthal toddlers suffered from repeated lead exposure—the earliest known evidence of lead poisoning in members of the human family. The study offers a startlingly intimate view of the lives of ancient children.