Neanderthals On Trial: DNA Analysis

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

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

Neanderthal is often synonymous with stupid but there is growing evidence that they actually had quite a lot of ingenuity and sophistication. One piece of evidence that suggests this is the fact they made the first adhesives from tar 100,000 years before other adhesives were used by homo sapiens in Africa. This was discovered by the finding of stones with tar which were previously attached to handles as make shift tools. Archaeologists have found three ways that Neanderthals could have purposefully made it. The first way also called thee ash mound method is the simplest method but only produces a pea size amount. It involves covering a rolled-up piece of birch bark with ash and glowing embers then after 20 minutes removing the birch to produce

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.

Neanderthals are highly misunderstood. Their demise is questioned by many but in the end researchers have come to an answer. After comparing mtDNA from a gorilla, a modern day human, and an ancient

The findings do not support the null hypothesis in that there was a gender difference as to whether humans have Neanderthal in their genes. But, most of the responses, 5 of 7 men (71%) and 5 of 13 women (38%) indicated these respondents did have enough knowledge to decide but the results are not conclusive. A second survey which focusing on how respondents’ knowledge of humans containing Neanderthal in their genes impacts them may allow for further clarification of these results. One question to be explored would be the level of awareness concerning how much Neanderthal a human contains in their genes.

The first Neanderthal fossils found in Europe, a fragmented child’s cranium in Belgium in 1830, and an adult cranium in Gibraltar, were not immediately recognized as a divergent kind of human. Only in 1856 after a partial skeleton was found in a cave in the Neander Valley in Germany it became clear that these fossils belonged to an extinct human and our closest evolutionary relative (Hublin and Pääbo, 2006). Since then, questions about their relationship with modern humans have been fiercely debated between anthropologists. But what attracts most interest from scientists and popular media is the possibility of hybridization between Neanderthals and modern humans if, in other words, they were a genetically different specie or a

Brain scans of team members revealed an absence of grey matter, white matter, and, actually, all matter. "We didn't find anything in there," says Dr. Silas. "No empathy, no decency. Just an empty shell. Everything we know about Neanderthals turns out to be a perfect fit."

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

The Neander Valley located in Germany is the place known for the first fossil find of Neanderthals; this fossil was found in 1856. In addition, the Neanderthals were identified as an earlier human species anticipating the modern day humans (Crane-Kramer and Harrison 2015:145). The Neanderthals were living during the last glacial period, which required them to develop particular traits that allowed them to survive in cold weathers. Compared to the modern human, Neanderthals were shorter and displayed a stockier body shape, which was an evolutionary adaption to the colder envoirment. Neanderthals demonstrated a large brain size of 1520cc; when compared to the modern human it is larger. This is not because they had more intelligence, but instead their brain was in poprotation with their body size. Furthermore, their skull was also larger because of a characteristic specified to Neanderthals called the occipital bun (Crane-Kramer and Harrison 2015:145). The occipital bun was a “large protrusion on the rear part of the cranium” (Crane-Kramer and Harrison 2015:145).

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 and 1911. These and other finds showed that the Neanderthals had populated Europe widely from about 130,000 to 28,000 years ago after which they became extinct. Most of these fossils were found in caves. Usually they are associated with cold

Although the humans would be thought of as much more peaceful of the two, the Neanderthals ended up being the much more peaceful. The Homo sapiens use their knowledge against the Neanderthals in a bad sense. Instead of making peace with nature, they rebel against it (enotes). They would use technology such as their firearms to hunt for food instead of letting it die naturally. The “new ones” believed in hunting their food.

The next species to appear were the Homo erectus which might have descended from Homo habilis. They were the first human whose fossils were found outside of Africa. They also had larger brain than the species before them. Homo sapiens sapiens came after the Homo Neanderthalensis; they are the only human species around. This could have been due to the result of increase brain sizes that allows more cognitive abilities that help them adapt to different environment changes and hence survive. Global evidence have been found of art, music, and culture and advanced tool making. In Mithen’s 3 phase of mind proposes that the shape of the Neanderthals’ frontal lobe was similar to the one of the modern Homo sapiens and this indicated that they were able to cope with complex cognitive functioning. Evidence for this could be explained using the phonological approach by Frank Gall (1758-1828).

Science and math allows for a new world of possibility. Intertwine the two, and we can see the world through a new, logical lens. For example, through DNA analysis and extensive research, science reveals the ancestors of mankind and provides solid evidence that all homo sapiens are related— a task once thought impossible. Apply the Transitive Law of mathematics and the result is: “If all organisms in the species are the same, and the group of organisms belonging to Homo sapiens are a species, then all Homo sapiens should be the same.” However, this isn’t the case. War and discrimination still plagues populations worldwide, and it becomes gradually harder to accept those of particular religions as the growing threat of terrorism arises. The