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Relationship between neanderthals and anatomically modern humans
Relationship between neanderthals and anatomically modern humans
Relationship between neanderthals and anatomically modern humans
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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 single specie capable of producing offspring.
The first morphological features that later would become typical of Neanderthals, the projecting middle part of the face and a depression at the back of the skull, have been observed in fossils found in Europe as old as 400,000 years (Stringer & Hublin, 1999). These fossils belonged to Homo heidelbergensis, which in one of the various evolutionary scenarios that ties Neanderthals and modern humans is considered the ancestor of both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens (Hubmlin, 2009).
Neanderthals lived in Europe and Western Asia between 200,000 and 30,000 years ago. Fossil record shows that around 150,000 years ago (Bar-Yosef, 1998; Grün & Stringer, 2000) their range extended from Europe to Middle East and Asia spreading to Uzbekistan and Russia (Herrera et al., 2009). They were probably the only hominin group living in Europe and Western Asia for a long period of time until the arrival of modern humans. Their extinction is dated at around 30,000 ye...
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...e origin and dispersal of modern humans. Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.
Shreeve, J. (1995). The Neanderthal Enigma. New York: Morrow.
Soficaru, A., Dobos, A., and Trinkaus, E. (2006). Early modern humans from the Pestera Muierii Baia de Fier, Romania. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 103, 17196–17201.
Stringer, C. B. & Hublin, J-J. (1999). New age estimates for the Swanscombe hominid and their significance for human evolution. Journal of Human Evolution 37, 873–877.
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.
Trinkaus, E., Milota, S., Rodrigo, R., Mircea, G., and Moldovan, O. (2003). Early modern human cranial remains from the Pesxtera cu Oase, Romania. Journal of Human Evolution 45, 245–253.
It all started when the first Neanderthal fossil to get a lot of attention was found in 1856 in Dusseldorf, Germany, due to it being the full being, rather than a few scattered bones (Walter, 102). Another skull soon after was found in Maba, China that had the same Neanderthal similarities. However, not much archaeological work has been done in the Far East. Aiello, an Archaeologist, states, “[He has] no doubt that Neanderthals could have migrated farther to the east— To Mongolia or China… There would have been nothing to stop them.” The Neanderthals took advantage of a warm period 125,000 years ago while migrating. They ended up getting as far as Siberia. During that warm period 125,000 years ago the Caspian Sea was reduced in size dramatically (Than, 1). The remains of cave drawings of Neolithic peoples and human-shaped figures have been discovered that date back to around 41,000 years ago (Hammer, 66).
A study performed by Martin Hausler and Peter Schmid of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, appeared in the October 1995 issue of Journal of Human Evolution, igniting controversy over the 1974 Australopithecus discoveries in Hadar, Ethiopia. The most famous of the Hadar specimens is the 3-million-year-old skeleton, “Lucy,” who was recovered by paleoanthropologist, Donald Johanson. In his article, Shreeve presents the methods and findings of Hausler and Schmid’s study as well as some counter arguments from other scientists in the field.
Wilford, J. & Co., Ltd. (2004).Another Branch of Early Human Ancestors Is Reported by Scientists. Online [Online], March. Available at: http://gateway.proquest.com [Accessed 28 March 2004]. References Articles from Nature “Geology and Paleontology of the Late Miocene Middle Awash Valley, Afar rift, Ethiopia,” Giday Woldegabriel, Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Paul R. Renne, William K. Hart, Stanley H. Ambrose, Berhane Asfaw, Grant Heiken, and Tim White, Nature 412, 175-178 (12 July 2001)
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
Trinkaus, E. (2007). European early modern humans and the fate of the Neandertals. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, 104(18), 7367-7372. doi:10.1073/pnas.0702214104
As archeological discoveries of bone fragments and fossils continue to support the existence of homo-sapiens
Even though Neanderthals had some physiological differences between humans, there are proves to say that Neanderthals had some characteristics that related them to humans, and they were really intelligent like
Myers, provider of source material for Edie Heydt's notes from "Human Origins," fall 1997, Alfred. Much of the material in the notes is paraphrased, and the original information sources are unknown.
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 possible “extinction through absorption” theory which claims the Neanderthal interbred with the Homo sapiens and became one species. In this paper I will also be comparing the technologies, and diets of both species. In addition, I will look at the anatomic relation between the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, how their body shape and size differed, and if this gave any advantage to one side or the other. My thesis for this paper will state that Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis had co-existed but the disappearance of the Neanderthal in Eurasia is due to the appearance of the more culturally advanced and genetically superior Homo sapiens and the failure of the Neanderthal to adapt in an evolving climate.
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.
Paleoanthropology: Pliocene and Pleistocene Human Evolution. Paleobiology, 7:3:298-305. Frayer, David W. and Milford Walpoff 1985 Sexual Dimorphism. Annual Review of Anthropology, 14:429-473 Key, Catherine A. 2000 The Evolution of Human Life History.
Research shows that the Neanderthals had a “protruding jaw, receding forehead, and weak chin.” (Ansering Genesis) The average brain of a Neanderthal was slightly larger than a modern humans brain. It is also stated that this specific species generally was larger in body size. The Neanderthals also tend to live mostly in colder climates. Researchers and paleontologists found many remains left by the Neanderthals, which include bones and stone tools, found in Eurasia, Western Europe to Central, Northern, and Western Asia. “Neanderthals (or Neandertals) are our closest extinct human relatives. There is some debate as to whether they were a distinct species of the Homo genus (Homo Neanderthalensis) or a subspecies of Homo sapiens. Our well-known, but often misunderstood, fossil kin lived in Eurasia 200,000 to 30,000 years ago, in the Pleistocene Epoch.” (Live Science) The Neanderthals had a very similar appearance to human, although they were “shorter and stockier with angled cheekbones, prominent brow ridges, and wide noses.” (Live
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,
The increase in brain size may be related to changes in hominine behavior (See figure 3). The third major trend in hominine development is the gradual decrease in the size of the face and teeth. According to the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia ’98, the fossil evidence for direct ancestors of modern humans is divided into the category Australopithecus and Homo, and begins about 5 million years ago (See figure 1). Between 7 and 20 million years ago, primitive apelike animals were widely distributed on the African and, later, on the Eurasian continents (See figure 2). Although many fossil bones and teeth have been found, the way of life of these creatures, and their evolutionary relationships to the living apes and humans, remain matters of active discussion among scientists.