paleoanthropologists to gain insight into how populations of different archaic hominid species interacted. In particular, sequencing of the Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) genome has provided evidence that the evolution of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) was influenced by interbreeding and gene flow between the two species of Homo. By comparing Neanderthal and modern human DNA, researchers have been able to produce evidence that would support the notion that not only was interbreeding possible
Is there a subspecies of Homo sapiens that lived complete opposite lives as us? Did we cause them to go extinct or did we live and interbreed with them? I will be discussing aspects of the species Homo neanderthalensis who lived alongside Homo sapiens and may have even interbred with them. I will be focusing specifically on the discovery of the fossil species, where the species is in the human ancestral tree, anatomical similarities and differences with Homo sapiens, and the lifestyle and extinction
The most recent ancestor to the modern human, Homo neanderthalensis existed between 300,000 and 35,000 years ago. Originating in Africa, ancestors of the early Neanderthals migrated northwards almost 800,000 years ago. These migrants colonized much of the Old World with the majority based in Europe and small groups scattered throughout the Middle East and Asia. Historically, the Neanderthals were among the most resiliant creatures to exist on Earth. As a population, they thrived during the European
In 1864 William King gave the name Homo neanderthalensis to a set of fossil remains found ten years earlier in the Feldhofer Cave of the Neander Valley in Germany. After King began his studies into Homo neanderthalensis he discovered that the fossil found in Germany were not the first. Unrecognized Neanderthal fossils were unearthed across Europe, as north as Belgium and as far south as Gibraltar. With a skull larger that humans Neanderthals survived the cold European lands by creating tools, mastering
MOUNTAIN CREEK STATE HIGH SCHOOL Homo neanderthalensis- The Beginning of Modern Man Term 4 VAN EGMOND, Kirby 11/3/2014 Key Words Archaic Ancestor Anthropologist Evolution Monogenesis mtDNA Multiregional Neanderthals Homo neanderthalensis-The Beginning of Modern Man Introduction In the early 1800s, knowledge of the variety and characteristics of living things became detailed enough for some natural scientists to begin questioning the origin of species and the arrival of humans
The first Neanderthal remains, discovered in Germany in 1856, were presented to the world of science at a meeting of the Lower Rhine Medical and Natural History Society held in Bonn in February 1857 and named a species, Homo neanderthalensis, by William King in 1864. Some Neanderthal fossils and other remains are in excellent condition, giving a good idea of Neanderthal culture. In 1887, two complete skeletons were found in a cave near Spy in Belgium, and more from sites in France in 1887, 1908
Throughout time man has evolved. Common belief is that Homo sapiens evolved from primates and then, by following the Darwinistic theory of evolution, Neanderthals, when in fact they all evolved alongside each other, sharing common ancestors rather than directly coming from one another. This then lead to similarities in the DNA as well to the high probability that there was interbreeding between the species; phylogenic tree mappings of the mitochondrial DNA of numerous different modern humans from
1. Introduction: The Paleo-species of Homo neanderthalensis have been the subject of debate since their discovery in 1829. Even in the early beginnings, the scientific research concerning this early hominin species has been debated, and it was not until 1864 that the first Homo neanderthalensis was recognized as an early hominin fossil (citation). Fortunately, progress has been made into piecing back together the history of Homo neanderthalensis. However, there are still significant questions
There is evidence to suggest that Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens had coexisted for approximately 35-40,000 years, (Fagan 2010) from around 60,000 years ago to 25,000 years ago when they finally went extinct (Gibbon 2001). Anthropologists are still uncertain what the cause of their extinction was. This paper will analyze three main theories of Neanderthal extinction. The first theory is the competition theory, which claims that the Homo sapiens and Neanderthals had to compete for resources, ultimately
Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens once coexisted for a period of time in the distant past during the late Pleistocene era (Benazzi et al. 2011), so there is speculation that they may have shared various similarities. Whether they occupied the same niche, or used and created tools that resembled equivalent shape and form, or whether both species lived in groups that paralleled in hierarchy and social behaviors are questions that many researchers have been trying to answer (Wynn and Coolidge 2008)