by webmaster on January 5th, 2009 |
Do neandertals have any relationship to modern humans? I seek any
information relevant to this question (i.e. genetics, physicality,
culture, society, population replacement theories, etc.)Hi! Thanks for the question.
This issue about the relationship between humans and Neanderthals has
sparked different opinions from experts if we truly evolved this way.
Please take note however that experts debate upon every aspect
mentioned here. I will provide small snippets from the articles I will
cite that directly answers your question but I highly recommend that
you read them in their entirety so as to get a better coverage.
Our first link provides us a side by side comparison between the
anatomy, behavior and some info on the culture of humans and
Neanderthals.
“A Neanderthal brain volume equals or exceeds modern human dimensions
(Deacon, 1994), ranging from about 1200_1750 ml, and thus on the
average about 100 ml larger than modern humans”
“Neanderthal anatomy is essentially human in scope, with the same
number of bones as humans, which function in the same manner (Trinkaus
and Shipman, 1992). However, there are minor differences in
robusticity (thickness and strength).”
Both humans and Neanderthals according to the article bury their dead
and mentions other evidences such as tool as a comparison of culture.
“Deliberate burial of Neanderthal remains is well known from at least
36 sites with a geographical distribution over most of Eurasia
(Gowlett, 1994), with at least 20 complete skeletons known (Lewin,
1998).”
“In 1996, pristine evidence of Neanderthal humanness came to light,
when a cave in Slovenia produced a small flute made from the thigh
bone of a cave bear.”
“NEANDERTHALS ARE STILL HUMAN!”
http://www.icr.org/pubs/imp/imp-323.htm
Another article meanwhile compares the different aspects of
Neanderthal and human life. Here are some of them.
Mobility Strategies:
“Early modern humans appear to have shifted their camp sites
seasonally, perhaps moving as different resources became available in
different parts of the landscape. Neanderthals pursued a different
strategy, one in which optimal habitation sites were occupied
continuously for prolonged periods (or frequently re-occupied) and
provisioned by shifting emphasis among various local food sources.”
Hunting Strategies:
On the use of thrusting spears which are very heavy weapons,
“Neanderthals, used these and would have assembled larger numbers of
suitable replacement points at their habitation sites than those (Homo
sapiens) who used lighter weapons, such as sharpened wooden spears and
clubs, against a wider range of prey species (Bleed 1986). “
On burying their dead, both of them were for ritual and practical
purposes like avoiding visits by carnivorous animals.
“Modern Human Origins and Neanderthal Extinctions in the Levant”
http://www.athenapub.com/8shea1.htm
The article below has a description of the usual physique of
Neanderthals in comparison to modern humans.
“Were the Neanderthals Our Ancestors?”
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/palaeontology/v&a/cbs/ancestors.html
But currently due to new technology, the debate on the relationship
between humans and Neanderthals is being fought in the arena of DNA
studies. It seems that new evidences gathered seem to show that there
is no link between Neanderthals and us at the moment. Findings and
interpretations could possibly change in future studies. The following
articles show the current results of these studies.
“Further comparisons were undertaken with the Neanderthal DNA and
modern human DNA. The differences between the Neanderthal and 300
Caucasians, 300 east Asians and 300 sub Saharan Africans were
calculated to be 25.45 3.27, 23.27 4.06 and 23.09 2.86,
respectively. This demonstrated that the Neanderthals were no more
related to any one of the modern racial groups”
“COMPARISON OF MODERN HUMAN AND NEANDERTHAL DNA”
http://www.promega.com/geneticidproc/ussymp11proc/content/goodwin.pdf
“Reported in this week's Nature (30 March) researchers at Glasgow's
Human Identification Centre, University of Glasgow, and co-workers in
Russia and Sweden have used molecular genetic techniques to compare
mitochondrial DNA sampled from this infant, who lived 30,000 years
ago, with modern human DNA. What this shows is that the Neanderthal
and modern humans diverged around 500,000 years ago. This appears to
settle conclusively an ongoing topic of debate between scientists on
our relationship with the Neanderthals, which has proved quite
heated.”
“Rare Tests On Neanderthal Infant Sheds Light On Early Human
Development”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/03/000331091126.htm
“Comparing 378 base pairs of the Neanderthal's mitochondrial DNA to
that of modern humans, the researchers found an average of 27
differences between modern and Neanderthal DNA -- far more than the
typical variation of eight among modern humans.”
“Mitochondria, the structures within human cells that help produce
energy, have their own genes. These genes are passed down the female
line with only the occasional mutation.”
“DNA Knocks Neanderthals out of Human Family Tree”
http://cas.bellarmine.edu/tietjen/Human%20Nature%20S%201999/dna_knocks_neanderthals_out_of_h.htm
Finally, if we came from Neanderthals two contrasting theories explain
how we come to be modern humans.
The Out of Africa Theory:
“This ‘Out-of Africa’ theory claims that these early modern Africans
replaced all indigenous populations of archaic humans, including the
Neanderthals, by about 30,000 years ago and that all people living
today are descended from these Africans. Support for this theory comes
from the fact that fossils of modern humans from Africa and the Near
East are much older than those found elsewhere.”
“Numerous genetic studies of DNA from living people also appear to
support the ‘Out-of-Africa’ theory. These studies indicate a
relatively recent common ancestry for all the far-flung peoples
inhabiting the globe today. They also consistently show present-day
Africans to be the most genetically divergent, and therefore the most
ancient, branch of humanity.”
The Multregional Evolution Theory:
“The competing theory of modern human origins, the "multiregional
evolution" theory, argues that present-day humans are descended not
from a new type of humanity that appeared in Africa a mere 200,000
years ago, but from much earlier African emigrants.”
“As support for their view of localized, regional evolution,
multiregionalists claim that in each region of the Old World, certain
distinctive traits can be identified in fossil bones from some of the
earliest archaic humans to occupy the region. These traits then
continue to show up in modified forms in subsequent human remains from
the same region, down to the present day.”
“Neanderthals and Modern Humans”
http://www.neanderthal-modern.com/
Search terms used:
Neanderthals “modern humans” relationship
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
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Regards,
Easterangel-ga
Google Answers Researcher
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