Up to have limited thinking and through

Upto 100, 000 years ago, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens have coexisted. However, around 45, 000-25, 000 years ago, the species seemed to have become extinct dueto the increase in Homo sapiens and other external factors like climate changeor natural selection. Accordingto The Valley of the Neanderthals, written by Price Douglas, in 1886, one of the first skeletons of theNeanderthal species were found. Then, in 1913, a study conducted by MarcellinBoule was published on the same new species, but with a different skeleton inFrance.

From the hundreds of skeletons found throughout the ages, more light hasbeen shed on the evolution of our ancestors. Forexample, scientists have discovered that Neanderthals first appeared around250, 000 years ago in Europe, along with tools that had been revealed alongsidethem. According to the documentary BecomingHuman: Last Human Standing, the tools were heavy, and generally thickerthan Homo sapiens, which were lighter and more durable.

Because of this, spearsmade by the Neanderthals were harder and less efficient to use when pursuing, posinga higher threat to the hunter. The differences in the spears made by a Homo sapiencompared to the ones of Neanderthals were that the earlier species had usedbigger stones/rocks for tools in general, like Levallois pieces, which werehand axes found around Europe and Southwestern Asia. Fromthis, one can also assume that they were hunters/carnivores, as also shownthrough the ridges of their teeth. According to the same documentary The Last Human Standing, sometimes, thebones of the deceased were found near the remains of large animals that are nowextinct, like the mammoth or cave lion or reindeer, which further proves thatthey ate meat. As well, the chapter, Valleyof the Neanderthals, also explains that Neanderthals could have use theirteeth to grasp things. The burial of sacred items with the deceased, such asflowers, food or tools may have been intentional which led scientists to believetheir thinking was more advanced than Homo erectus, which were the ancestors tothe species. By using tools and burying items with the dead, scientists knowthat the brain capacity of Neanderthals were big enough to have limited thinkingand through the scratches on their teeth, the archeologists were also able torecognize that the species could be right or left handed.

Anotherimportant difference between the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens would be their obviousphysical differences. Because they lived in different stronger and colder climates, Neanderthals tended to be bigger boned. The skeletons were shorter (around 5ft)according to the same article. The Neanderthals also had bowed limbs and largerjoints, the cranium sat lower on the skull, the face was longer and theteeth/nose sat farther forward than any other hominin. They also had biggerbrains compared to Homo sapiens.

Another explanation given by the same documentaryproposed that the Neanderthals could have been super strong with high endurance, which helped with long travels. From the famous skeleton of ___little boy____, researchers were able to determine about how old he was, and how fast he might havegrown up, which then implies that he had less time for learning. One of theways that researchers had measured the remains would be through endocasts, whichmeasure the skulls, through that, it was discovered that the front of the skullwere similar to Homo sapiens. Throughthe study of archeology, scientists were able to determine where exactly theancestors of modern humans started out. the Neanderthals began and where theybecame extinct. The species, Homo erectus started out in Africa several hundredthousand years ago. From there, the part of the species moved out and venturedtowards Europe and parts of Asia where they evolved into Homo sapiens. However, science says there might have been a mega drought or descending ice sheetsaround 140, 000 years ago, which pushed the few Neanderthals further intoAfrica, in caves near the waters where their lifestyle changed dramatically.

Thespecies had to adapt or become extinct. So as a solution, the species began shellfishing and learned to cook them. The unfamiliar terrain had now becomefamiliar to them, with learning when the tides were low, and how to gatherberries and roots.

They remained there for around 140, 000 years. By this time, the resources that were made had become more advanced and decoration becomepopular (in caves, with jewelry, face paint). One the climate finally began toimprove, the Neanderthals moved from Africa towards Europe, where they had fewleft. Inthe beginning, there were around 4 different types of humans, compared to 1type today. After the Neanderthals moved out of Africa, there is littleevidence as to what exactly happened to them. One theory explains that theywere already on the brink of extinction, with their lack of fast adaptability, like homo sapiens, and their limited technology and high energy consumption(compared to the low energy and better tools of Homo sapiens), the Neanderthalswere already struggling. Another theory describes how modern humans took overthe species.

Perhaps the most convincing idea is simply that the Homo sapiensmight’ve coexisted with Neanderthals, where mating could have taken place. Aswell, the “ bottleneck effect” was another concept as to how they disappearedinto the gene pool. Through hundreds of years of mating, the definingcharacteristics of Neanderthals could have become less noticeable, andtherefore it’s like they had vanished.

However, for now, it’s not entirelyclear as to why exactly they disappeared.