Scientists Build 'Frankenstein' Neanderthal Skeleton

LiveScience ^ | 10 March 2005 | Bjorn Carey

[null and void]

Popping popcorn...

[LongElegantLegs]

dwarfy-like beings

Is that a technical term?

[Leo Carpathian]

This is hugh! What a victory of science!!
Looks to me like gin soaked bones of Teddy Chapaquickdrown Kennedy.

[nuconvert]

hmmmm.....I don't think it's kosher to mix bones of a 60,000 yr old skeleton found in Israel, with 70,000yr old bones found in France.

[frithguild]

[nuconvert]

pong

[VadeRetro]

I thought I knew all this already. I've been reading for years about their bell-shaped rib cages.

It's basically trading armor for flexibility. They had very inflexible torsos but were less vulnerable to penetrating gut wounds, a death sentence in pre-tech times. The ribs hover very low over the hips, almost no waist.

They're also geared for crushing power rather than speed. The bone attachments are geared short rather than tall. Furthermore, the lower arms and lower legs are very short compared to the upper limbs in each case.

They could ram a thrusting spear deep, deep into a big animal, but they had a lousy fastball. They couldn't get much of a whip onto a throwing spear. The inflexible torso didn't help with that, either.

They lived hard, died young, and had skeletons like old rodeo cowboys. Lots of healed breaks. They took care of their wounded and buried their dead.

[Jeff Chandler]

How did it look in a tux?

[Centurion2000]

I wonder if the muscle attachments from bone to muscle were anchored in different locations compared to modren humans. Muscle to bone leverage could account for a lot of their increased strength.

[Lessismore]

Like a penguin?

[MediaMole]

How did it look in a tux?

Like Mike Tyson.

[DannyTN]

[null and void]

How did it look in a tux?

[Frapster]

*caption* does this make me look fat?

[VadeRetro]

I wonder if the muscle attachments from bone to muscle were anchored in different locations compared to modren humans.

I think that's true. Humans have pretty tall attachments compared to most animals. Tall gearing is better for endurance running and for throwing.

Neanderthals had knobbier, more robust skeletons. They were more adapted for cold weather and less for running all day across the grasslands. The wave of modern types out of Africa that replaced them was probably better with the throwing spear among its advantages.

[Jeff Chandler]

How did it look in a tux?

All wrong. It looked like Peter Boyle.

[editor-surveyor]

""As we stood back, we noticed one interesting thing was that these are kind of a short, squat people. These guys had no waist at all – they were compact, dwarfy-like beings."

Like many of the current residents of south east asia.

[bondserv]

You should write a Novel.

Maybe call it:
Neanderthal Nobility
One Tough and Chivalrous Hombre

[null and void]

Like so?

[hineybona]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ahahahahahah good one man HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA