Passage Summary: We used to think Neanderthals weren't artistic, but a cave painting from 40,800 years ago was just found, so it was probably made by one of them.

Conclusion: A Neanderthal was likely the creator of a cave painting found in northern Spain.

Reasoning: New dating techniques have shown the painting to be at least 40,800 years old, which contradicts the idea that Neanderthals couldn't think symbolically.

Analysis: The argument relies on a major chronological gap: it assumes that if the painting is that old, it must be Neanderthal. For this to hold water, the author must assume that modern humans—who we know were capable of such art—were not present in that area at that time. If modern humans were already there 40,800 years ago, the evidence doesn't necessarily point to Neanderthals at all.