FLUTE IS THE FIRST AND OLDEST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT At least that appears likely. Found in Slovenia, in a cave that was inhabited by Neanderthals, the 4.5-inch cave bear femur has four spaced, similarly-sized holes in a line in a recognizable musical scale. Even though the odds of that happening by chance are slim, much of the scientific community has rejected the idea that Neanderthals had the cognitive ability and creativity to make music, much less a flute to produce it. The main competing hypothesis is that carnivores made the holes while chewing the bone. In all fairness, both ends of the article do appear to have suffered gnawing. But experiments have shown that it would be nearly impossible for carnivores to produce the holes on the thickest and most rigid part of the bone without breaking it. And no match could be found for any animal to make two of the holes at a time. A reconstructed model of the flute has been used to produce good qua...