Chapter 12 - Admir Basic

In the 19th century, workers found the first fossils of the Neanderthals at Das Neandertal, Germany. Throughout Europe, scientists have found Neanderthal remains and found that they used tools and made use of animal skins to keep warm during winter. However, the Homo Sapien drove the Neanderthals to extinction by killing, outcompeting or interbreeding with them. According to page 238, “most people alive today are slightly - up to four percent - Neanderthals.” Later in the chapter, the author visits a scientist who is attempting to map the genes of Neanderthals and compare them to modern human genes. When Neanderthals were first found, they were often depicted as hairy creatures that couldn’t stand up straight and were uncivilized. However, scientists confirmed that Neanderthals were more similar to humans than previously thought. The hurdle that comes with trying to map Neanderthal genes is that DNA deteriorates quickly and it becomes difficult to find the genetic code in bones. The most popular theory of the origin of the modern human is that they originate from an original population in Africa. From there on, they dispersed around the world. However, it that were the case, all people would have the same genetic overlap. Europeans and Asians share more genetic overlap with Neanderthals than people in other continents. To this day, scientists debate what characteristics are unique among modern humans. Some believe that intelligence is what makes the modern human but primates can solve complex puzzles better than human children in some cases. However, humans can collectively solve problems while primates cannot. Neanderthals made stone tools and buried their corpses just like humans. They also helped each other out when a comrade would become injured from the nomadic lifestyle. The main reason why extinct primates died off is the fact that they reproduced slowly. According to page 254, there has been a “sustained downward pressure on the number of breeding adults.” [(R) Extinctions always occur because birth rates for the species are too low and make larger animals or animals with low hatchlings more susceptible to extinction. This was the case with the Great Auk since the female bird would only make one egg annually. Rodents have high birth rates and are more resilient to extinction. This connects to the APES theme that humans alter natural systems since human presence automatically reduces the ecological fitness of surrounding organisms.] Interestingly, the chapter notes that Neanderthals lacked an “aesthetical mutation” meaning that they did not see objects as artwork like modern humans see. The chapter closes off with the author visiting Grotte des Combarelles and observing the drawings on the walls of the cave. This cave was once a home for humans and they projected art onto the cave walls.