28, 2014
Origins& Extinction of Neanderthals
The Neanderthals are one of most iconic ancestors in what we have learned about the past in human evolution. As our closet extinct relatives and that of archaic humans, the Neanderthals are often label as the quintessential caveman. However, despite being once label as the embodiment of primitive humans of limited capacities; evidence has shown us that isn’t the case. The Neanderthals in their prime were able to accomplish and develop what was needed for them to survive from the moment of their evolvement until their end of their extinct.
The origins of the Neanderthals begin with their ancestors the Homo erectus between 400,000-300,000 years ago. The climate change was the start of a new coming species as the weather began to cool. This cooling climate change the weather patterns which cause the cold and glaciers then began to move towards Asia and Europe. The Homo erectus population dominated most of the European region in 500,000 BP. So when the glaciers arrived 300,000 years ago and expanded to the Pyrenees and Alps region, the European Homo erectus population became isolated,
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especially those from the west. In order to survive in their new cold environment they had to learn to adapt. As the western European Archaic Homo sapiens adapted to their new environment, evolution played its role as the Neanderthals descended from them as a population who were able to adapt the colder conditions. In lecture 7 it said, “The ‘classic’ Neanderthals date from about 150,000 BP to 25, 000 BP” (Love, 5).
Fossil evidence like the male Neanderthal found in La Chapelle-aux Saints, France revealed that he lived 60,000 years ago which correlates well to when Neanderthals are said to have lived. Fossils like these help explained how their physical traits help them survive the cold harsh conditions. These traits such as having a robust build with shorter limbs, a much wider rib cage, big noses, and a large cranium had help them stimulate better body heat. Other fossil found in La Ferassie, France were estimated to be dated around 50,000 years ago which showed that they had cared for their dead. In Israel, at the site of Skhul, the oldest fossil evidence found three children and seven adults which dated around 120,000 to 80,000 years
ago. So why did the Neanderthals go extinct? There has been quite of a debate over the years leading the question of what exactly happen to extinct of Neanderthals. It is said that the Neanderthals went extinct about 30,000 years ago. Hundreds of Neanderthals fossil remains have been found scattered all across Europe and Central Asia that essentially tell us that they died out all those years ago. In lecture 7, it mentions that there are three primary reasons that may explain of why they might have disappeared. The first suggested that when Archaic Homo sapiens encountered the Neanderthals, in what is called ‘African Eve’ when AMH migrated out of Africa, they ultimately eliminated them. AMH may have come to Neanderthals lands in massive numbers that they could have overrun them that may have lead them to diminish. The second suggested that interbreeding did happen between Neanderthals and AMH but their genome could have not survive because of thousands of years of being ‘genetically swamped’ with the Homo sapiens because of their bigger presence. Although another reason might be that their children were just not fertile, which past genetic research has once set out to prove. In Germany at Max Planck Institute, a genetic scientist named Svante Paabo found that when he compared Neanderthal mtDNA to humans it showed that there were 27 variations of DNA between each other. This to some had shown the evidence that we can’t put Neanderthals and modern humans into the same category of species, which to them meant their genome simply died out. Lastly, interbreeding with the Neanderthals and AMH could have kept their genome alive. Wolpoff’s multi-regional hypothesis can present that the AMH didn’t eliminate them, instead they cohabitated and evolved their kinship together. When they interbred together some of genes survived with their hybrid offspring but as years went by Neanderthals died out, yet their genomes did not. Genetic studies have found that DNA from Neanderthal fossils and modern humans has proven that interbreeding did in fact happen between the two. Paabo and his team were able to determine that the two DNA’s were 1% to 4% correspondent that happen outside of Africa yet before they reached Asia between 100-000-60,000 years ago. However, the results found by Paabo aren’t exactly accepted because of two reasons. The first would be because the Neanderthal DNA may have been contaminated, so there is reason to doubt that this can cause inaccurate results. Secondly, when Paabo concluded that interbred happen in Levant, others disagree with that conclusion. Lecture 7 said, “The data from the archaeological record is interpreted by some as indicating that Neanderthals and AMH didn’t interact with one another in the Levant” (Love, 14). Despite having fossil evidence and genetic evidence of some kind, we are still left wondering to what really happen to the Neanderthal extinction, because of constant studies and findings. All these findings have been continuous revised and relooked whenever a new pop of evidence comes up and presents itself. Whether AMH really did cause the destruction of the Neanderthals or simply brought their families together, we’re left to the conclusion we can all agree on, which is that the Neanderthal line did not survive and modern humans did. However, despite all these findings that no one can really agree on, the Neanderthals are important to our human history and essential made us who we are today.
Over the last few hundred years, more and more has been added to the world’s fossil collection, fossils from all over the world. New theories have been created and old theories have almost been proven about the evolution of man. For example, we have proof that different species of man existed with certain types of DNA sequences and instincts, some we may not have anymore, or some that other species did not have back then. Even though it is subjected to much debate, one of the most widely accepted theories however, is that Homo sapiens interbred with the slightly more primitive species of man, the Neanderthal.
Ardipithecus Ramidus Kadabba: The Oldest Hominid. There was a chief new discovery of fossil bones and teeth belonging to the earliest human ancestors ever discovered. The fossil bones predate the oldest formerly discovered human ancestor by more than a million years. The discovery was of fossil remains of a hominid that lived in present day Ethiopia between 5.2 and 9.8 million years ago. Hominids include all species following the split as of the chimpanzees on the “human” side of the evolutionary tree.
Around 1.8 million years ago, two hominids were born, first the Homo Erectus and then the Neanderthals. Although the two very different humans. However, were they that different? Our ancestors were very versatile hominids. They lived in various places and lived in a variety of ways. The Homo Erectus and Neanderthals were all special in their ways. They had similarities and differences that set them apart. They had similarities, but in the same way, their differences helped them survive if they had not adapted to how they lived they would have lasted the same time that their ancestors have lived. The Neanderthals lived for an average lifespan 30 years. They had to have some mistake that decreased their lifespan because if the Homo Erectus had done the same, there’s a chance that we might not be here now. Their differences set the future that we live in today. These
The human archaeological record is a long and undefined story that may be the most complex question researched today. One of the big questions in human history is the disappearance of the Neanderthal people from the archaeological record around 30,000 BP. While for thousands of years Neanderthals and Anatomically modern humans crossed paths and perhaps lived in close relations, we have yet to really understand the degree to which they lived together. My hypothesis is that these two hominids, Neanderthals and Anatomically Modern Humans, interbred exchanging genes after Modern Humans dispersed from Africa and creating like cultures and material remains. The differences between Neanderthal and Modern humans are not only physical but also genetically evolved and this research will determine an estimated amount of admixture between the two groups.
These individuals are portrayed by modern society as brooding, selfish, beasts of nature. Evidence can be pulled from all over Europe to provide a perfect explanation about how Neanderthals were anything but. Neanderthals had the ability to take care and look after those who could not do so for their self. One of the best-known cases of compassion among the Neanderthals was the “Old Man of La Chapelle.” This name was given to a male found in a limestone bedrock found in France in 1908. He was dated to have lived 56,000 years ago and was the first nearly complete Neanderthal specimen ever found. Scientist estimate that he was relatively old by Neanderthal standards and where his teeth used to be have now been grown in with bone. This indicates that the man lost his teeth sometimes long before he died, allowing the gums to heal and bone to takes it place. He was lacking teeth and would have had trouble chewing his food, this combined with his age would have made survival rather difficult. The old man’s skeleton was also riddled with other sorts of ailments, broken bones, which made life difficult to handle unless he had helped. The other members of the community would have worked together to take care of him until his death. Other Neanderthals remains have signs of server damage that could have been potentially life-threatening, but evidence shows that some of the injuries were completely healed. Indicating that those Neanderthals that had suffered grievous injuries were nursed back to health by other members of the
They lived in a variety of areas across Europe and the Middle East. Fossils of neanderthal remains have been found all the way from Europe to Western Asia. There was a point in time thousands of years ago when modern day humans actually lived alongside neanderthals up until that time that they became extinct. The physical characteristics of neanderthals relates strongly back to their environment. They were prominent in the time period of the Ice Age, hence their physical attributes were forms of adaption to their cold environment, trying to steer clear of the ice and snow. Neanderthals travel in smaller packs due to the fact that they traveled so frequently. Researchers have found smaller campsites left behind be Neanderthals suggesting the smaller group sizes. Due to the fact that they migrated through a variety of climates and habitats, the neanderthals physical characteristics such as shorter shin bones and arms barrel-shaped chests, and larger brains helped them to adapt to cold
Tattersal, I. and Schwartz, J. H. (1999). Hominids and hybrids: The place of Neanderthals in human evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 96, 7117–7119.
The idea that early hominids were powerful players in the ancient is slowly slipping away. Evidence is emerging that our ancestors were not great hunters, but scavengers that roamed the savanna looking for leftovers. Pat Shipman, discusses how it would be possible for early hominids to survive as strangers and how this method of cultivation affected human evolution. Shipman, uses the marks that stone tools, and teeth would make on the bones of prey animals as evidence for her hypothesis. She theorizes that early hominids weren't mighty hunter, but cunning scavengers.
Who the earliest settlers were in the United States is controversial, as is where they came from and how they got here. A few different scientist has done studies on this and came up with different theories. Some believe they came by foot from Asia across the Bering Strait during the Ice Age while following mammoths for food (Shultz, n.d.). Others believe they came by boat following whales and searching for fish to eat. There are a few different theories. With this said, what we do know is the earliest settlers were the Paleo-Indian; how they got here or from where they came from is basically irrelevant.
In recent years, the Homo Neanderthalensis were viewed as “subhuman brutes”, but are now seen as a different species from our own (Balter 2001). The Neanderthals were a branch of the Homo genus that evolved in Eurasia at least 200,000 years ago (Fagan 2010). The first Neand...
Most of their evidence comes from the fossilized bones of Neanderthals and Cro- Magnons, or modern man’s ancestors (Shreeve, 150). There is a definite difference between their bone structures, and it may be a significant enough difference to divide them into species. There is a set of traits that distinguishes Neanderthals. Their general proportions are short, robust, and strong. Males and females of all ages have thick bones, and very pronounced muscle and ligament attachment sites. They also have distinct facial and cranial features. They have a large skull with no chin, a significant brow-ridge, and a large nasal opening (Shreeve, 49-150). They have large brains, around 1400cc, that protrude in the back, causing an occipital bun in the skull (Lecture, 4/19). Cro-Magnons on the other hand look more like humans do today. They are more slender and not as muscular, with chins and rounder skulls with slightly smaller brains among other traits.
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.
“The scientific study of how humans developed did not begin until the 1800s in Europe. Until that time, people relied on religious explanations of how humans came into existence. Starting in the 1500s a scientific revolution began to sweep Europe. Thinkers started using scientific methods and experiments to try to better understand the world and the creatures living in it. Eventually these methods were turned to the question of human origins” (The Nature Of Human Origins, 1). Earth made it possible for species to change over time because Ancient Earth provides ability to plenty of time.The Homo Sapien a is very complex creature. The species started off very simple by living in caves and surviving with little food and then later evolved into a species that were able to do many more complex things. The first species was Sahelanthropus tchadensis They were one of the most simple humans in that time period and on. They had very small skulls compared to Homo Sapiens today and their motor skills were just the same. We have evolved and changed for the better both mentally and physically. The Evolution of Homo Sapiens started off simple, such as the Neanderthals, and now we are the most advanced species to ever walk the planet so far.
The Neanderthals are an extinct species of human that lived in ice age Europe between 120,000-35,000 years ago. This species is known for their receding forehead and prominent brow ridges. We know this species as the uncivilized or unintelligent person or group. Neanderthals are often portrayed as “unintelligent cavemen in animal-skin clothing.” Scientists’ first thought the Neanderthals’ were subhuman, but that thought is beginning to change. The original name given to the Neanderthals when they were first discovered was ‘Homo Neanderthalensis’ and they were considered to be an ancestor to modern humans. “Forty-four years after this biased classification, Neanderthals were reclassified as a human subspecies Homo sapiens Neanderthalensis and
Susan Lindee and Ricardo Santos’ goal was to understand the contexts of genesis and development of biological anthropology around the world from an international standpoint, focusing on engagement with living human populations. Their contributors, scholars in history of science, science studies, and anthropology, were guided by key questions about national histories, collections, and scientific field practice.