AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Ars Technica, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

---

A recent study published in *Science Advances* reports the discovery of 597 wooden remains from Neanderthal living areas at Abric Romaní, a rock shelter near Barcelona, dating between 62,000 and 40,000 years ago. While wood rots quickly, mineral-rich water at this site coated tools in a limestone-like crust that preserved hollow molds of the original objects. These molds allow researchers to see details like wood cell outlines under a microscope. M. Gema Chacón, an archaeologist from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA), notes that these finds show woodworking was routine for Neanderthals rather than occasional.

Among the 597 remains, only 13 were modified by humans, including four juniper bark trays up to 55 centimeters long, crossed poles possibly forming a tripod, and a unique club carved from a single piece of wood with a 16-centimeter handle and a 14-centimeter triangular head. The team used 3D scanning and photogrammetry to digitize the molds, creating printed copies for research and museum displays. Chacón explains that unlike previous methods using resin or plaster, this digital approach allows careful opening of fragile objects without damaging them.

The tools suggest Neanderthals planned activities with specific materials; Scots pine was chosen for its ease of work, while fresh wood made tools and dry wood served as firewood. The presence of sleeping hearths along the back wall and a long pole acting as a windbreak indicates complex shelter design. Chacón states that these findings imply significant brain complexity in organizing activities, challenging the view of Neanderthals as merely "dumb cousins" of humans. She warns that insufficient time and funding may have caused similar discoveries elsewhere to be missed or misidentified.