"The Ugly Little Boy" is a short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1958 under the title "Lastborn." The plot revolves around a Neanderthal boy brought to the present through time travel by a research company, Stasis Inc. The boy, named Timmie, is kept in isolation to prevent paradoxes and is cared for by a nurse, Edith Fellowes, who initially reacts with disgust at his primitive features but grows to love him. As she forms a maternal bond with Timmie, Edith becomes appalled by how the scientists and media treat him as a mere curiosity. When Stasis Inc. decides to return Timmie to his original time for further experiments, Edith tries to save him, leading to a malfunction that sends them both into the distant past. The story explores themes of evolution, aesthetics, and the ethics of scientific experimentation. In 1992, the story was expanded into a novel by Robert Silverberg.
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