Neanderthals
In a recent excavation at Abrigo do Lagar Velho in Portugal, Duarte et al (1999) unearthed what was later to be recognized as early human skeletal remains which pointed to interbreeding between Neanderthal and Modern Humans during the mid - upper Palaeolithic transition. The morphology of the remains, belonging to a child of approximately 3-4 years old, indicates a Neanderthal typology in post-cranial features, and more modern cranial features. The find has been cited as evidence of hybridization between the two traditionally separate human lines, and offers an explanation to the question of Neanderthal extinction. (Trinkaus 1999) Anthropologists are now offered a line of evidence pointing to the contemopranity of Moderns and Neanderthals in parts of Europe and assumptions can be made about their contact: "The discoverers…are making a ground-breaking claim, that the skeleton shows traces of both Neanderthal and modern human ancestry, evidence that modern humans did not s!imply extinguish the Neanderthals, as many researchers had come to think. Instead the two kinds of human were so alike that in Portugal, at least, they intermingled…for thousands of years." (Kunzig, 1999) By examining the theories of human evolution,
1993 Neanderthals take a big step back in time. In Takera Akazawa, Kenichi Aoki and Ofer Bar-Yosef, edotors, Neanderthals and Modern Humans in Western Asia, New York,: Plenum Press, pp. There are some flaws with the mtDNA studies though and further research is needed. Neanderthals can be distinguished from anatomically Modern Humans by the presence of prominent brow ridges, low forehead, occipital bun, facial prognathicism, large nasal aperture, and shorter, sturdier skeletal features most notably, distinguishing them from Moderns who were taller and had longer limbs, higher foreheads, lass prominent browridges and rounder skulls. Trinkaus, Eric 1989 Issues concerning human emergence in the later Pleistocene. (Wolpoff:1980) From a replacement standpoint however, these differences in morphology are too distinct to be variables on a theme and in conjunction with dates provides evidence supporting that view. Smith and Frank Spencer, editors, The Origins of Modern Humans: A World Survey if the Fossil Evidence. Perhaps this find will be able to tell us what exactly did happen to the Neanderthals. In Erik Trinkaus, editor, The Emergence of Modern Humans: Biocultural adaptations in the later Pleistocene. (Klein: 1989) Many proponents of a regional theory claim that such morphological differences show a continuity and depending on how they are !viewed can be seen as evidence of variation within a species, not distinct species. Stringer, editors, The Human Revolution. " !(Kunzig 1999) Evidence which could be used to corroborate such a theory include further DNA research, including both mitochondrial and nuclear extractions if possible.
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