http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/neandertal/ en-us Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:45:29 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2118159/posts The traditional answer has been that Neanderthals have a big nose because they have a big mouth and a wide jaw, useful for ripping apart tough food, says Nathan Holton, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Iowa. Why, then, do Neanderthals have faces that jut further out than humans? "They had them because earlier hominids had them," Houlton says. He laments the tendency of some anthropologists to "atomise the body", and explain each of its part as an exquisite adaptation to an environment. Selection for strong jaws and teeth has been a favourite explanation for other Neanderthal facial features, as... New Scientist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2118159/posts#comment Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:45:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2088072/posts The diet of prehistoric Neanderthals living in caves on the Rock of Gibraltar included seals and dolphins, showing once again that the hominids had skills rivaling those modern humans living then, according to a new study. The discovery of seal, dolphin and fish remains in the caves dating from 60,000 to 30,000 years ago provides the first evidence that Neanderthals ate sea mammals as well as land grub. Live Science http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2088072/posts#comment Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:47:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2086304/posts National Geographic News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2086304/posts#comment Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:20:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2085205/posts Most notably among the new studies is what researchers say is the first ever direct evidence that a woolly mammoth was brought down by Neanderthal weapons. Margherita Mussi and Paola Villa made the connection after studying a 60,000 to 40,000-year-old mammoth skeleton unearthed near Neanderthal stone tool artifacts at a site called Asolo in northeastern Italy. The discoveries are described in this month's Journal of Archaeological Science. Villa, a curator of paleontology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, told Discovery News that other evidence suggests Neanderthals hunted the giant mammals, but not as directly. At the English... Discovery News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2085205/posts#comment Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:51:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2078146/posts Score one more for Neanderthals. A new study has found that Neanderthal brains grew at much the same rate as modern human brains do, knocking down the idea that they grew faster in a style considered more primitive. Live Science http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2078146/posts#comment Tue, 9 Sep 2008 15:40:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2069025/posts Early stone tools developed by our species Homo sapiens were no more sophisticated than those used by our extinct relatives the Neanderthals. That is the conclusion of researchers who recreated and compared tools used by these ancient human groups. The findings cast doubt on suggestions that more advanced stone technologies gave modern humans a competitive edge over the Neanderthals. BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2069025/posts#comment Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:20:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2060481/posts At Nature, we often find that our most read, downloaded or listened to studies are those about our more ancient relatives, whether it's the hobbit of Flores or the oldest human ancestor, Toumai. Last week, a paper in the journal Cell uncovered the first completed sequence of the Neanderthal genome, and some fascinating insights into our evolutionary cousins. Expect more revelations from this project very soon. The demise of the Neanderthals is one of the great mysteries about the origin of our species. They were on a side branch in the human tree, co-existing with our direct ancestors for maybe... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2060481/posts#comment Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:13:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2058184/posts The bones of a Neanderthal man's skeleton, found during several excavations undertaken in 1856, 1997 and 2000. Researchers announced Thursday that they have sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of a Neanderthal, using genetic material recovered from a 38,000-year-old bone. (AFP/DDP/File/Michael Latz) WASHINGTON (AFP) - Researchers announced Thursday that they have sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of a Neanderthal, using genetic material recovered from a 38,000-year-old bone. Scientists said the breakthrough, published in the August 8th issue of the scientific journal Cell, will help resolve lingering questions about the genealogical relationship between the prehistoric hominids and modern man. AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2058184/posts#comment Thu, 7 Aug 2008 19:37:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037462/posts Balkan caves, gorges were pre-Neanderthal haven Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:25am EDT By Ljilja Cvekic BELGRADE (Reuters Life!) - A fragment of a human jaw found in Serbia and believed to be up to 250,000 years old is helping anthropologists piece together the story of prehistoric human migration from Africa to Europe. "This is the earliest evidence we have of humans in the area," Canada's Winnipeg University anthropology professor Mirjana Roksandic told Reuters. The fragment of a lower jaw, complete with three teeth, was discovered in a small cave in the Sicevo gorge in south Serbia. "It is a pre-Neanderthal... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037462/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:45:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032966/posts Cholesterol genes 'protect heart' Cholesterol appears to play a key role in heart disease A third of the population have genes that could help them in the fight against heart disease, say scientists. A study of 147,000 patients suggests that certain types of the CETP gene might increase the levels of so-called "good" cholesterol. UK and Dutch research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found a 5% cut in heart attacks for those with the key types. A UK geneticist said it could point to drugs which help many more people. What it does provide are... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032966/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:30:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1917675/posts What would it have been like to meet a Neandertal? Researchers have hypothesized answers for decades, seeking to put flesh on ancient bones. But fossils are silent on many traits, from hair and skin color to speech and personality. Personality will have to wait, but in a paper published online in Science this week (www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1147417), an international team announces that it has extracted a pigmentation gene, mc1r, from the bones of two Neandertals. The researchers conclude that at least some Neandertals had pale skin and red hair, similar to some of the Homo sapiens who today inhabit their European homeland.... Science Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1917675/posts#comment Sun, 28 Oct 2007 23:03:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011533/posts Neanderthals were separate species, says new human family tree A wax figure representing a Neanderthal man on display at a museum. A new, simplified family tree of humanity has dealt a blow to those who contend that the enigmatic hominids known as Neanderthals intermingled with our forebears. A new, simplified family tree of humanity, published on Sunday, has dealt a blow to those who contend that the enigmatic hominids known as Neanderthals intermingled with our forebears. Neanderthals were a separate species to Homo sapiens, as anatomically modern humans are known, rather than offshoots of the same species, the new organigram... Physorg http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2011533/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 18:38:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010441/posts Neandertals Had Big Mouths, Gaped WidelyMati Milstein in Tel Aviv, Israel for National Geographic NewsMay 2, 2008 Neandertals had big mouths that they were able to open unusually wide, new research has determined. A recent study found that a combination of facial structure, forward-positioned molars, and an unusually large gap between the vertical parts of the back of the jaw allowed Neandertals (also spelled Neanderthals) to gape widely. Modern humans and our direct ancestors don't have these traits, the researchers note. But the team was unable to measure exactly how far Neandertals could open their mouths. "This ability is connected... National Geographic News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2010441/posts#comment Fri, 2 May 2008 22:01:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008768/posts Neandertals Ate Their Veggies, Tooth Study ShowsSara Goudarzi for National Geographic NewsApril 28, 2008 Tiny bits of plant material found in the teeth of a Neandertal skeleton unearthed in Iraq provide the first direct evidence that the human ancestors ate vegetation, researchers say. Little is known about diet of Neandertals (also spelled Neanderthals), although it's widely assumed that they ate more than just meat. Much of what is known about their eating habits has come from indirect evidence, such as animal remains found at Neandertal sites and chemical signatures called isotopes detected in their teeth. The new hard evidence is... National Geographic News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008768/posts#comment Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:18:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2003182/posts PARIS (AFP) - After a nearly 30,000-year silence, Neanderthals are speaking once more, thanks to researchers who have modelled the hominids' larynx to replicate the possible sounds they would have made, New Scientist says. The work, led by Robert McCarthy, an anthropologist at Florida Atlantic University at Boca Raton, is based on Neanderthal fossils found in France, the British journal said on its website on Wednesday. The item includes an audio snippet in which a computer synthesiser replicates how a Neanderthal would say an "e" and compares this with the same sound as made by modern humans. A study published... AFP (via Yahoo News) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2003182/posts#comment Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:03:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1988906/posts Skulls Of Modern Humans And Ancient Neanderthals Evolved Differently Because Of Chance, Not Natural SelectionThe approximate locations of the cranial measurements used in the analyses are superimposed as red lines on lateral (A), anterior (B), and inferior (C) views of a human cranium. (Credit: National Academy of Sciences, PNAS (Copyright 2008)) ScienceDaily (Mar. 20, 2008) — New research led by UC Davis anthropologist Tim Weaver adds to the evidence that chance, rather than natural selection, best explains why the skulls of modern humans and ancient Neanderthals evolved differently. The findings may alter how anthropologists think about human evolution. Weaver's study... Science Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1988906/posts#comment Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:58:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978453/posts ARCHAEOLOGISTS TO DRILL IN BEXLEY FOR EVIDENCE OF ANCIENT OCCUPATION By 24 Hour Museum Staff 29/02/2008 An illustration of Homo neanderthalensis at Swanscombe, Kent, one of the sites investigated in the AHOB project. © Natural History Museum Archaeologists from Durham University will be returning to a London borough site where a 19th century historian once found flint tools and animal bones. This time, however, the latest sonic drilling equipment will be used to take samples from the earth, for the ongoing Ancient Human Occupation of Britain II project (AHOB). Initial drillings were carried out at Holmscroft Open Space in September... 24 Hour Museum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978453/posts#comment Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:16:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978059/posts Cannibalism May Have Wiped Out Neanderthals Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News Unhealthy Diets? Feb. 27, 2008 -- A Neanderthal-eat-Neanderthal world may have spread a mad cow-like disease that weakened and reduced populations of the large Eurasian human, thereby contributing to its extinction, according to a new theory based on cannibalism that took place in more recent history. Aside from illustrating that consumption of one's own species isn't exactly a healthy way to eat, the new theoretical model could resolve the longstanding mystery as to what caused Neanderthals, which emerged around 250,000 years ago, to disappear off the face of the Earth... Discovery News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978059/posts#comment Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:52:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1937472/posts Neanderthal-human hybrid 'a myth' Monday, 10 December 2007 Jennifer Viegas Discovery News This 29,000 year old skull belonged to a hominid with slightly heavier eyebrows than an average person. But this is not enough to convince anthropologists it's evidence of a human-Neanderthal hybrid (Source: Dan Grigorescu) Did modern humans interbreed with Neanderthals and, if so, did the mating result in a half-human, half-Neanderthal hybrid? The answer is possibly 'yes' to the interbreeding but 'no' to the hybrid, according to the authors of a new study that is already making waves among anthropologists. At the centre of the study, published online... ABC News - Discovery News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1937472/posts#comment Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:35:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/826033/posts NEW YORK (Reuters) - Comfortable, coddled 21st century humans, meet Ice Age Neanderthal. The first complete skeleton of a Neanderthal, the prehistoric people who became extinct about 30,000 years ago, graces an American Museum of Natural History exhibition in New York on the mysteries of human origins. It features fossils and artifacts up to a million years old dug up in caves at two sites in northern Spain. "This really blew me away, I have to say," said Ian Tattersall, co-curator of "The First Europeans: Treasures from the Hills of Atapuerca" exhibition which opened last week and runs through April... Science - Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/826033/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jan 2003 19:04:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967865/posts Tooth Scan Reveals Neanderthal Mobility By ELENA BECATOROS, Associated Press Writer A 40,000-year-old tooth is seen in this undated hand out photo released by Greek Culture Ministry. Analysis of the tooth uncovered in southern Greece indicates for the first time that Neanderthals may have traveled more widely than previously thought, paleontologists announced on Friday, Feb. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Greek Culture Ministry)(AP) -- Analysis of a 40,000-year-old tooth found in southern Greece suggests Neanderthals were more mobile than once thought, paleontologists said Friday. Analysis of the tooth - part of the first and only Neanderthal remains found in Greece - showed... Psysorg - AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967865/posts#comment Sun, 10 Feb 2008 02:25:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966704/posts Doctoral student makes discovery on Neanderthal eating habits by Michael Moffett Hatchet Reporter Issue date: 2/7/08 A doctoral student studying hominid paleobiology has pioneered a method for analyzing reindeer bones from around 65,000 to 12,000 years ago, an accomplishment that allows scientists to further understand the eating habits of early humans. Early humans flocked to reindeer meat when the temperature dropped, J. Tyler Faith discovered. "We see a steady increase in the abundance of reindeer, associated with declines in summer temperature," Faith said. Faith analyzed bones from the Grotte XVI archaeological site in southern France in order to better understand... G W Hatchett.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966704/posts#comment Thu, 7 Feb 2008 23:01:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1951909/posts According to archaeologist Dr. Eugene Morin, of Trent University, the long-held view that 35,000 to 40,000 years ago Neanderthals died out and were replaced by migrant homo sapiens in western Europe is not as convincing as once thought... In his study, Prof. Morin suggests that instead of declining to extinction, Neanderthal anatomical characteristics were largely weakened during an episode of significant population decline caused by a cold snap... His theory is based on animal bones recovered at Saint-Cesaire, an archaeological site located in western France... large herbivores such as bison and horse decreased in numbers, whereas reindeer, a cold-adapted species... Durham Region Media Group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1951909/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:45:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1948811/posts Neanderthals probably froze to death in the last ice age because rapid climate change caught them by surprise without the tools needed to make warm clothes, finds new research... By the time some Neanderthals developed sewing tools it was too little too late, said Gilligan... Most of the tools supposed to have given modern humans the edge over Neanderthals were actually more useful for making warm clothes. The important tools developed by modern humans included stone blades, bone points and eventually needles, which could cut and pierce hides to sew them together into multi-layered clothes including underwear, said Gilligan... Modern... Discovery http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1948811/posts#comment Sat, 5 Jan 2008 17:27:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914155/posts Research shows Neanderthals may have talked By Michael Kahn Thu Oct 18, 4:06 PM ET Neanderthals, often portrayed as grunting, club-carrying brutes, may have been capable of sophisticated speech, researchers said on Thursday. A DNA analysis shows Neanderthals share with humans two key changes in the FOXP2 gene known to be involved in speech, raising the possibility the species possessed some prerequisites for language, the researchers said. "From the point of this gene at least the Neanderthals could have had language like we do," said Johannes Krause, a biochemist at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, who led the study.... Reuters via Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914155/posts#comment Sun, 21 Oct 2007 08:29:57 GMT