For
generations, the image of Neanderthals has been shaped by museum displays, book
illustrations, and films, portraying them as hunched, inarticulate brutes
covered in ape-like hair. However, a growing body of recent evidence challenges
this perception. This evidence suggests that Neanderthals walked upright,
communicated through speech, crafted tools, practiced burial rituals, possessed
cranial capacities comparable to or even larger than modern humans, and exhibited
facial hair patterns similar to our own. In 2013, a Neanderthal fossil dating
back 120,000 years was discovered, revealing clues of fibrous dysplasia, a
condition seen in modern humans. As a result, contemporary reconstructions of
Neanderthals in museums now depict individuals more akin to modern Europeans,
albeit with larger skulls, low foreheads, absent chins, robust bones, and
considerably stronger hands and arms.
The
journey of understanding Neanderthals began in 1829 when Philippe-Charles
Schmerling uncovered the first Neanderthal fossil, that of a young child, in a
cave in present-day Belgium. However, it wasn't officially identified as such
until 1936. The first recognized fossil representing a distinct human form, now
termed Neanderthal after the discovery site in Neander's Valley, Germany, was
unearthed in 1856. Since then, Neanderthal remains have been found in Western
Europe, the Near East, and Siberia. These enigmatic beings thrived some 600,000
to 350,000 years ago, with their population peaking at around 70,000
individuals in Europe. Mysteriously, they vanished approximately 30,000 to
45,000 years ago, with the exact causes of their extinction remaining
speculative.
Genetic
studies suggest that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens diverged from a common
ancestor roughly 400,000 to 500,000 years ago. Debate persists regarding
whether Neanderthals should be classified as a subspecies of Homo sapiens,
although prevailing opinion leans towards recognizing them as a separate
species. Intriguingly, Neanderthals coexisted with modern humans in the same
geographical regions for many millennia and evidence suggests they interbred
with our species. Remarkably, approximately 99.7 percent of Neanderthal DNA
aligns with the genetic code of present-day humans, with Europeans and Asians
inheriting 1–4 percent of their genes from these ancient relatives.
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