There appears to be a cultural memory of Neanderthals in the very widespread folk tales throughout Europe of "trolls", somewhat ugly people, usually portrayed as very strong and scarey, who usually live by themselves in remote areas. As Cro-Magnon people moved into Europe, they could have gradually displaced the Neanderthals who were already there, until they were finally pushed to extinction. In the story of Beowulf, Grendel is portrayed as a cannibalistic monster, however consider that this just might be a very distorted retelling of an account based on an actual encounter between a European Cro-Magnon and one of the last Neanderthals...perhaps like the Coelocanth, Neanderthals became so scarce that no fossils newer than 24,000 years are found, but some very few actually may have lived on into historical times. No fossils left because they were killed and not buried?
News - Neanderthal DNA 99.5% Like Ours
by Satanus 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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badboy
IT IS RECKONED THAT NEANDERTHALS AND MODERN HUMAN BOTH DESCENDED FROM A POPULATION OF 3,000 INDIDIVUALS.
(I READ NATURE MAGAZINE)
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*lost*
bumped for research
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james_woods
Has it been mentioned that the title of this thread is somewhat of a misnomer?
While it is true that the Neanderthal genome is similar to (and likely viable as a mating partner with) cro-magnon if not modern human species, there are only about 3% of exactly similar (matching) Neanderthal strands to the modern examples of DNA from Western Europe. Zero percent from the most truly ancient direct descendants of African homo sapiens.
There is another species (Siberian Denisovan) which is carried by about 5% DNA of certain northen European modern humans.
This shows that the human species has a diverse and complex genetic background - and is a death blow to the single human (Adam) theoretical ancestor of only about 5,000 to 6,000 years past.
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barry
I saw a documentary about how the neanderthals may have died out. According to one theory tha Neanderthals were more muscular had shorter legs and had no waistline. they lived in forest areas. They hunted with heavy spears and crept up on the animal being hunted. The spear was not thrown but thrust into the animal at close quarters.
The forests were decreasing during an ice age and open plains were increasing.
The theory is that modern humans started to inhabit the open plain areas because they were more athletic and were using a light spear which was thrown. Usually an animal runs quite a distance especially when a lighter spear hits its intended targetso even after the hit modern humans may have to run quite a distance to take down there quarry. The Neanderthal was just not athletic enough for this new type of hunting.
Did they interbreed? No! They kept their penis in their genis
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james_woods
barry, if they did not interbreed, then they could not share 5% of the DNA code with modern european humans.
Latest thinking (considering their burial sites, etc.) indicates that the Neanderthals were not nearly as ape-like or primative as sometimes previously thought.
The reasons for their demise are still being debated.
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soontobe
News - Neanderthal DNA 99.5% Like Ours
And most of those genetic differences don't amount to much. Most of it is in genes having to do with sperm/testicles, smell and skin.
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soontobe
I saw a documentary about how the neanderthals may have died out. According to one theory tha Neanderthals were more muscular had shorter legs and had no waistline. they lived in forest areas. They hunted with heavy spears and crept up on the animal being hunted. The spear was not thrown but thrust into the animal at close quarters.
Homo Heidelbergensis is believed to have made very good throwing spears, and they are considered to be a common ancestor to Neanderthals and Sapiens. They were javelin throwers.