Neanderthals, Ancestors to Human Beings Essay

If Neanderthals did in fact comport themselves in ways once thought to distinguish anatomically modern humans and enable the latter’s rise to world domination, that similarity makes the Neanderthals’ decline and eventual extinction all the more mystifying. One theory is that H. sapiens had a broader variety of tools that may have enhanced their ability to forage. When they brought their superior technology with them out of Africa and into Eurasia, they were thus better able to exploit the environment more effectively than the resident Neanderthals could. Still, the arrival of H. sapiens did not equal an instant demise for Neanderthals. The latest attempt to track their decline, carried out by Thomas Higham of Oxford and his colleagues, applied

The main ideas behind Joe Alpher’s article Rethinking Neanderthals is that scientist are changing the way they once view the Neanderthal species. “The result was that those of us studying Neanderthals started thinking about these people in terms of their behavior and not their just their anatomy”. They are beginning to look deeper in the lives of this extinct species of people to better understand more about their culture and daily lives as well as predictions as to what finally caused their destruction. Alpher makes not in his article about the previous though surrounding the Neanderthals as he describes them as “too dull and too clumsy to use efficient tools, never mind organize a hunt and divvy, up the game… dumb brutes.” Yet with more findings and research being completed, we are find that this specific species of human beings were not only capable of imaginative thoughts, but also showed the ability to adapt, assimilate and moral reasoning.

Research speculates that the modern humans and Neanderthals coexisted in Europe for around 5,000 years. To put that into perspective, 5,000 years is around 250 generations in “human-time.” Sharing about 99.5% DNA with the Neanderthals, the largest bone in the foot may be one of the biggest differences that set the modern humans apart to out-live the Neanderthals. Both Neanderthals and modern humans have arched feet, but the height of heal differs. Dr David Raichlen found that because the heal of the Neanderthal was taller, it proved less spring during running and also stabilized the ankle. This made the Neanderthals known for walking, and to which why the lower heal increased the ability for modern humans to out run its closest cousin.

The upbringing of Neanderthal children is believed by some scientists to have been harsh. High activity levels and frequent periods of scarcity form part of the basis for this interpretation. However, such trials in childhood may not be distinctive from the normal experiences of early modern human children, or those of hunter-gatherers in particularly cold environments. There is a crucial distinction to be made between a harsh childhood and a childhood lived in a harsh environment. Anatomical analyses of Neanderthal long bones have revealed that survival depended on adapting to high levels of activity and a rugged terrain. However, there is little to distinguish Neanderthal physical stamina from that of early modern humans. Both populations

Even though Neanderthals have many differences compared to Homo sapiens, they should be considered humans because of their ability to reason and have a conscience. Through scientific research, we have learned that Neanderthals organized the bodies of their dead and they buried their dead as well through. Through this act of sympathy for their fallen counterparts, we can see the compassion and sympathy shown from the Neanderthals’s concionse and ability to reason. From this act of burial we can see that from the U.N.’s decleration of human rights Neantherthals should be considered human.

It's widely agreed by scientists that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens (modern man) are different species. However, it's thought that 1.5 - 2.1% of DNA from anyone born outside of Africa is Neanderthal which means that they co-existed and interbred with our Homo sapien ancestors approximately 35,000 years ago. Researchers say, the only human ancestors who didn't interbreed with Neanderthals were sub-Saharan Africans. Neanderthals typically lived in Europe and Asia up until approximately 33,000 BC when they are said to have become extinct. They lived during the Ice Age and can be considered as early cave men who are likely to have been covered in hair and had an ape like appearance very similar to the conventional perception of Bigfoot. Their eyes and brains were larger than those of Homo sapiens but they were sophisticated enough to carry tools, make fire and bury their dead. One scientific explanation as to why the Neanderthals died out is climate change, More likely, they were unable to compete with the better adapted early humans who either killed them, took over their land or interbred with them and they were absorbed into our

The disappearance of the Neanderthal race is still a much debated mystery. The myth that our ancestors, the original homo sapiens, whipped them out was once the conventional theory on their extinction. The same old narrative of we were stronger, they were weaker. Essentially survival of the fittest on the human scale. However, in The Humans Who Went Extinct, Author Chris Finlayson provides insight on a very different perspective. His theory on the Neanderthal extinction was due to climate change and chance. The ability to adapt was the reason our ancestors thrived while the Neanderthals died out. Jean Auel 's novel The Clan of the Cave Bear is a classic coming-of-age tale about an outcast who thrives in a foreign society despite numerous obstacles placed in front of her. Although, it is based in the prehistoric times, I highly doubt that there is much historical accuracy to this story. It is a powerful tale, however from a historical standpoint, I believe it is as useful as the Spartacus television show on the Roman Era. Both novels cover the Prehistoric World, however, each story 's view is drastically different than the other.

Throughout the documentary “Decoding Neanderthals” there was a push of research to push the human view of Neanderthals. Over the year’s research showed that we coexisted with Neanderthals and out beat their species. Many believed that Neanderthals where like the stereotypical unintelligent and wild caveman. With new technology, enhanced research, and the exposing documentary “Decoding Neanderthals” pushed the boundaries of these past ideologies. Through this we have learned how intelligent, symbolic, and closely related this species is to homo-sapiens species. This research proved that the Neanderthal may have not became extent due to in ability to create weapons but, due to inter breading with humans

In a skeleton found in Asia, the discovery of a hyoid bone in the the throat raised the question of whether or not Neanderthals had language capabilities. There has been much debate over this and many different theories, but the most widely accepted is that they were capable of producing human speech sounds, but whether or not they used this speech to communicate in any kind of language is still largely up for debate. In height, Neanderthals were roughly about the same size as modern humans, but did not live as long as modern humans. A Neanderthal who lived into his or her 40's was considered to be long lived, which is comparatively short to our much longer lives of roughly double that. Genetically, Neaderthals and humans differ in their DNA structure both in the mitochondrial DNA and in the nuclear DNA. The significance of the DNA evidence is that it is crucial in determining whether remains that are found are truly Neanderthal or an older hominin relative.

Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted for well over 100,000 years.  Then suddenly Homo neandertalensis began to die out and surrender the earth to Homo sapiens.  Paleontologists and anthropologists have entertained several possibilities to the causes of this event: interbreeding among Neanderthals and humans, competition for natural resources, and Darwin’s theory of “survival of the fittest.”  What the real cause has been has plagued scientists for years. Now, due to an international research team from Germany, those possibilities have been even further deduced, making it easier to pinpoint the exact reason Homo neandertalensis became extinct.

Although Neanderthals were a branch of the human family tree, they have been seen as a primarily forgotten species. They were known for a variable diet, hunting, and lacking language and art. It was also believed that they lacked the capacity of knowledge as modern species. However, due to new discoveries, we realize that Neanderthals are much closer to the modern human species and more intelligent than we believe.

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 leading to their demise. The second theory I will discuss is the climate change theory, which claims that Homo sapiens lived while Neanderthals died because they were better adapted to the climate. The last theory I will discuss is

Neanderthals were hunter-gatherers who moved across Europe with the advance and retreat of the Ice Age glaciers. Their total population probably never exceeded 100,000. From 180,000 to 130,000years ago large glaciers covered much of Europe and Neanderthal remains are scarce. After 130,000years ago, tool technology developed rapidly to become the classic Neanderthal technology called the

While it is important to understand the significance of each hypothesis, the questions surrounding the Neanderthal extinction takes on assorted factors that are not mutually exclusive. Numerous studies have been conducted focusing exclusively on climate, competition or disease as a function of Neanderthal extinction. However, conflicting conclusion suggest that there are several factors involved that overlap and/ or arising from one another. This paper will attempt to better understand how climate, competition, and disease might operate together to account for Neanderthal extinction. First by summarizing each argument of the three arguments and identifying the potential implications for father research. Secondly, aim to develop a framework that will include the most relevant hypothesis.

Much of the human ability to make and use tools and other objects stem from the large size and complexity of the human brain. Most modern humans have a braincase volume of between 79.3 and 91.5 cubic inches. In the course of human evolution the size of the brain has more than tripled. The increase in brain size may be related to changes in hominine behavior. Over time stone tools, and other artifacts became increasingly numerous and sophisticated. It is likely that the increase in human brain size took place as part of a complex interrelationship that included the elaboration of tool use and tool making, as well as other learned skills, which permitted our ancestors to be increasingly able to live in a variety of environments.