The Neanderthal fossil was first discovered in 1829 but it was not until 1856 that conclusions were made. Originally they were not categorized as possible human ancestors until further discoveries of fossils were discovered in the mid-19th century. The taxonomy of the Neanderthals has been highly debated between homo neanderthalensis or homo sapiens because of their close physical similarities with humans, eventually they were ruled as a subspecies of homo sapiens. The similarities between Neanderthals and homo sapiens was traced back by DNA from 350,000 to 500,000 years ago identifying a common ancestor between the two taxonomies. A common ancestor between the neanderthals and homo sapiens is not all that shocking considering the similarities both share, but there are also distinct differences. The neanderthal was much shorter and stockier than the average human, males averaging a height of five foot five …show more content…
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
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). Chinese and Malaysian Homo Sapiens have very close features to the Neanderthal.
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.)
Four hypotheses of how the bodies got there occupation, water transport, predation, and death trap were ruled out. A new hypothesis was formulated what if Homo naledi intentionally buried their dead? Although there is not enough evidence yet to confirm this, such behavior would be significant in that it would precede previous cases of the behavior in Neanderthals and humans. This would add to the argument that Homo naledi are of the genus Homo. After the examination of these fossils and extensive research, it was concluded that Homo naledi were a new species of the Homo genus.
Ever since the Pleistocene era, human societies have expanded rapidly, developing innovative ways to defend their territories and migrate across the land. Consisting of an aggregate of humans living together, these societies became more powerful as time progressed by consuming more meat (megafauna). Supporting this development, the more mammals that humans would eat, the more protein their bodies would absorb. When humans consume high amounts of protein, they develop stronger muscles, which leads to the stimulation of brain activity. By way of further explanation, amino acids from the proteins are used to make the neurotransmitters that allow your brain cells to network and communicate. Amino acids that come from the protein you eat are the building blocks of your brain’s network. They can excite or calm your brain as well as nourish your brain throughout its lifetime. Also, they allow the body's own proteins to be used to support life, particularly those found in muscle. This led humans to develop intelligence and create a wide variety of tools. These tools are what the early hominids used to develop their culture into that of hunter-gatherer-fishers, making humans a more dominant mammal within that ecosystem.
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...
Three incomplete skulls of Homo sapiens were discovered in 1997. Bruce Bower’s article “African Legacy: Fossils plug gap in human origins” discusses the fossils. These findings are important because according to the discoverers, they are the oldest known fossils of modern people. The skulls were found in Herto, Ethiopian located in eastern Africa. The fossils are dated between 154,000 and 160,000 years ago.i[1] The fossils were dated radioisotopically.ii[2] Since the fossils are the oldest known fossils of modern people, it is probable that these hominids represent the immediate ancestors of humans that are anatomically modern. Tim D. White’s (et al) article “Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash, Ethiopia” describes the discovery of the Herto fossils and the research of the artifacts in great detail.
Feder and Park present a list of traits that are used by paleoanthropologists to distinguish the appearance of skeletal features and characterize these changes over time. Th...
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.
The species A. afarensis is one of the better known australopithecines, with regards to the number of samples attributed to the species. From speculations about their close relatives, the gorilla and chimpanzee, A. afarensis’ probable social structure can be presumed. The species was named by Johanson and Taieb in 1973. This discovery of a skeleton lead to a heated debate over the validity of the species. The species eventually was accepted by most researchers as a new species of australopithecine and a likely candidate for a human ancestor.
According to National Geographic, scientists have sequenced the genome factor of the chimpanzee and found that humans are 98.5% similar to the ape species. The chimpanzee is our closest relative in the animal kingdom; however, some people are not aware of our resembling traits with chimpanzees. Jane Goodall’s, In the Shadow of Man, describes some similar traits humans and chimpanzees have such as their facial expressions and emotions, use of tools, and diet.
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.
Neanderthal Extinction 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 for 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.
In his lecture, primatologist Robert Sapolsky explains the uniqueness of humans as well as our similarities to other primates. In doing so, he broke it down into six points of interest: aggression, theory of mind, the golden rule, empathy, pleasure in anticipation and gratification postponement, and lastly, culture. Professor Sapolsky approaches each point with interesting fact-based examples thus allowing me to gain insight on humans and other primates. Sapolsky’s knowledge of primates along with his scientific background allows him to make a clear argument that one cannot simply ignore.
The chimpanzee is one of the most fascinating mammals in the animal kingdom, for many of its distinct characteristics, but the main reason is the similarities it has to humans and our behaviors. The genetic blueprints of humans to chimpanzees show our closest living relatives share nearly ninety-nine percent of our DNA sequence. But despite the many similarities between the human genome and the chimp genome, researchers have emphasized the important differences between the two. The difference between us and chimpanzees is one percent, or roughly 15 million bases in our DNA sequence that evolved to separate us from being chimps. Over time there were genetic mutations that shifted our DNA sequence; these mutations did not harm or benefit us in any way. The genetic
The evidence for human evolution begins with the australopithecines. All the australopithecines were bipedal and therefore possible hominines. In details of their teeth, jaws, and brain size, however, they modify enough among themselves to be divided into five species: Australopithecus anamensis, A. afarensis, A. africanus, A. robustus, and A. boisei. Genus Homo are also divided in five different spices: Homo erectus, H. habilis, H. sapiens, and H. sapiens sapiens.