I believe the item in Discovery was regarding a  Neanderthal tuba,
supposedly made from a whole mammoth tusk, with a picture of same in
unblemished condition. It went on to mention possible neanderthal bagpipes
and speculated that this tuba may have been the predecessor of German
oom-pah bands. The whole thing could possibly have been inspired by reports
of a fragment of a neanderthal flute,discussion of which appeared on this
listserve last fall, and which I took to be reliable, knowing nothing of the
subject.
So I still assume the flute is for real, the tuba is not.

I find the sense of humor displayed in Discover refreshing. Not only that,
if you do get taken in, it should reinforce your sense of objective
scepticism, whicht should be brought to anything you read, even in a science
mag. It was the style of  the writing, and the context, that carried the
joke. The factual aspects were all preposterous, if looked at separately.
How many factual science items have you read in the past that later proved
incorrect?
Kenneth DeRoux
Curator of Museum Services
Alaska State Museum
395 Whittier Street
Juneau, AK  99801-1718
[log in to unmask]
http://ccl.alaska.edu/local/museum/home/html