'Bone timing twist: Why we humans no longer grow jaws like the Neanderthals
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Face freeze
Human faces stop growing in adolescence, unlike Neanderthals, who keep developing bold bone structure.
Representative pic
Jaw logic
Longer growth in Neanderthals fuels massive jaws—ideal for survival, but not needed in modern life.
Bone clock
Facial bones in humans shut down early, marking a silent evolutionary pivot we still carry today.
Representative pic
Growth gap
Chimpanzees and Neanderthals share long growth phases—humans broke this ancient pattern completely.
Representative pic
Diet driver
Cooking, tools, and social habits made big faces unnecessary—shrinking ours over generations.
Representative pic
Face genes
Researchers believe genetic switches and hormone timing control facial size and shape at puberty.
Representative pic
Midface mystery
Humans never develop the forward-thrusting midface seen in Neanderthals, thanks to early bone slowdown.
Energy edge
Smaller faces may have saved energy—redirected to fuel brain growth and long-term survival skills.
Representative pic
Evolution echo
Scientists now study fossils across eras to track when, where, and how our faces shrank.
Representative pic