Posted on 01/21/2012 5:48:42 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Palaeoanthropologists now know a great deal about these ice-age Europeans who flourished between 200,000 and 30,000 years ago. We know, for example, that Neanderthals shared about 99.84 per cent of their DNA with us, and that we and they evolved separately for several hundred thousand years. We also know Neanderthal brains were a bit larger than ours and were shaped a bit differently. And we know where they lived, what they ate and how they got it.
Skeletal evidence shows that Neanderthal men, women and children led very strenuous lives, preoccupied with hunting large mammals. They often made tactical use of terrain features to gain as much advantage as possible, but administered the coup de grace with thrusting spears. Based on their choice of stone for tools, we know they almost never travelled outside small home territories that were rarely over 1000 square kilometres.
The Neanderthal style of hunting often resulted in injuries, and the victims were often nursed back to health by others. But few would have survived serious lower body injuries, since individuals who could not walk might well have been abandoned. It looks as if Neanderthals had well-developed way-finding and tactical abilities, and empathy for group members, but also that they made pragmatic decisions when necessary.
Looking closely at the choices Neanderthals made when they manufactured and used tools shows that they organised their technical activities much as artisans, such as blacksmiths, organise their production. Like blacksmiths, they relied on "expert" cognition, a form of observational learning and practice acquired through apprenticeship that relies heavily on long-term procedural memory.
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
That has always upset me. I'm still sick about it.
Fencing? Knowing how many trees to cut down, etc. to enclose the land?
Sundials? Making ‘em small, and big for the EEEvil 1%?
Maybe they were inspired to find this ratio by observing a full moon?
Man invernted not just the wheel, but the also the pole required to make use of the new found technology.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFTttl4Bmz4
I do like SoCalPubbie's speculation, but on reflection, there's an obvious problem. If the aliens taught the ancients to levitate rocks to build large structures, they would risk the power of pi being turned on themselves, with large rocks and even astroids being hurled intergallactically to smash the home plant. This is presumably how the Bugs did it in Starship Troopers -- is there a more plausible explanation? -- and since the aliens had undoubtedly time-travelled, we must assume they'd seen the movie and would know better than to incur that risk. So as attractive as your theory is, I'm still open for additional explanations.
The ancients had their fair share of Einsteins. I don't know how the uber-brilliant think, but perhaps such questions just occur naturally to them as they sit around fires poking at the coals with a stick: "H'm. The ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter. That's an interesting question. I wonder if I could figure it out, and without algebra and decimal notation. That would be way cool." If you are smart enough, maybe you really think that way. But I'm still looking for a more mundane theory.
The interesting thing not mentioned here is that Black Africans are the only major group in the world that supposedly does not carry Neanderthal genes. This may sound racist, but since Africa is the most backward continent, contrary to the author’s conclusion, perhaps the Neanderthals bestowed a higher intelligence on us. They did have bigger brains.
You made my day. My son is in advertising. I sent it to him!!
“My question is, what interested them in pi to begin with?”
Had to do with hat sizes.
***No, you’re guessing with a tiny bit of evidence.***
I have read that the one item never found in a Neanderthal site is a bone needle. As a result some say they were covered with a coat of hair.
I’ve seen a few people who would almost fit their description.
****Obama-Romney care in Bedrock.****
Then there is that little problem with cannibalism of the dead, or was that Homo Erectus.
This is all a good story, but in reality all that matters in the world is if Newt asked for an open marriage.
When I saw the title, I thought it was going to be a slur on the Tea Party.
"Competing" is an euphemism. Human evolution is driven by tribal warfare. We didn't out-hunt the Neanderthals, we killed them off. Mainstream anthroplogists avoid that subject like the plague.
There is little evidence the Neanderthals were religious, while the modern humans were. That doomed the Neanderthals because religion provides a significant competitive advantage in tribal warfare. Mainstream anthropologists have selective hearing on that subject also.
Sometimes the application of new technology, such as the invention of the wheel takes a long time to be fully appreciated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX8Du9pusdA
The face in #1 looks sort of like Mel Brooks.
Neandertal didn’t go extinct, Neandertal has over a billion living ancestors.
Strange how your post contained so many imaginary things as if they were facts.
Kinda like evolution and global warming. There are always at least two sides to a story and usually many more. I can’t remember the guy on the radio that had a book out on his dental observations. You can do your fact check on the PBS show quite easily.
If geneticists are to be believed, we shared 100 percent of our DNA with some of their women!
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