Back to #2562 - Dan McClellan, with Dan McClellan.
Why Does Shanidar 1 Qualify as the Oldest Human?
Shanidar 1's skull shows deformities that indicate profound deafness, probable blindness, and other disabilities. The skull aged to pretty old age for a Neanderthal. Survival to old age was only possible with social support group providing care. Sacrificing own efforts, time, resources to care for someone who cannot care for themselves defines humanity. Shanidar 1 is the oldest human because the society took on that burden.