The anatomy was mixed, and so our interpretation was that not only were Neandertals absorbed into the population and treated like people, but the offspring of these so-called mixed marriages were clearly treated with full respect. A child would not be given an elaborate burial ritual unless that individual was considered an important member of the social group. We looked at it very much in a behavioral sense, what this told us about what happened when Neandertals and early modern humans met, at least in this region. The Portuguese find does not put an end to the controversy. Some anthropologists dispute Trinkaus' conclusions, but this is not a bad thing, says physical anthropologist Richard Smith.
Controversy is fundamental to our area of research.
In anthropology, controversy is a way of working through the many implications of important ideas. It's controversial because it's an important issue. Aside from his teaching responsibilities, Trinkaus plans to publish more detailed descriptions of both the Portuguese child and the Czech fossils. Each of his projects includes an international team of experts, and he relishes the exchange of ideas. They're still digging at the Portuguese site.