A 3D laser scan documented by microtopography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) identified the ocher as iron oxide applied without any binding agent, and multispectral imaging revealed a dermatoglyphic pattern in the pigment later confirmed by forensic analysts—a human fingerprint, complete with ridge morphology, bifurcations, and convergence points.
Statistical modeling ruled out random placement. Monte Carlo simulations gave just a 0.31% chance that the red dot’s equidistant relationship to the two symmetrical indentations had occurred by chance. The red dot, therefore, seems intentionally placed on a carefully selected surface, potentially to evoke a specific image.
A red dot, a 43,000 year old fingerprint, and a stone out of place—potential evidence of Neanderthal pareidolia
It is amusing that such lengths had to be taken to examine a rock that a kid may have been goofing around with.