I have another "toba" right in my back yard so to speak : the Yellowstone super volcano, kitty corner across Montana. A 5+ richter earthquake hit it just a couple of years ago, kept quiet for obvious reasons, but something is definitely going on with it as the ground is rising FAST, as well as increased geothermal activity. There is a HUGE magma chamber below it and it's on the MOVE. Yellowstone super-blows about every 600,000 years and it's been 640,000 years since the last one(30+/- minor eruptions in between). If it's a MAJOR one it's nuclear winter(where oh where is global warming when you really need it).......Neanderthals have been intensely studied, they even think they can get their DNA somehow(jurassic park?)but all they have to do is get democrat's DNA for a perfect match. Actually the basques may be neanderthals(they supposedly died out on gibralter rock 19,000 years ago)as they are definitely a distinctly different people with a language unrelated to any other language......Interesting story about the runts on new Flores, evolutionary downsizing of the whole ecology on that island. Possible lessons for our time? Have you got your survival supplies ready for when IT happens? Whatever IT is....
Yellowstone, another "toba"
Yes, I am very aware of that situation. In fact my father wrote an entire, very long and wordy, novel on the subject. In it he postulates a man, like himself, becoming aware of the danger, and moving operations to the Carolina's. Then it blows and a whole lot of adventures after that. Some day I may take it and rewrite it and possibly get it published. Actually, his interest was one of the things that restimulated my active interest in volcanism.
Regarding Neanderthals, there were some recent FR threads about the discovery of some N genes in the Scottish population, and perhaps other northerners. About 40% of the population, and virtually all the redheads. My husband was Scottish ancestry, very redhead and blue eyed (a positive adaptation to diminished sunshine and Vitamin D formation), heavy brow ridges, large dense bones, short legs and long torso (good for cold climates), very hairy, and warrior temperment. I always thought he might have some neanderthal ancestry, and now I am almost certain. One of our sons has his size and density, but none of his coloring. He is currently in Afghanistan. One of our sons also has the same body density, like a pit bull, if you have ever felt one. I think some Ns may have interbread with other groups moving north, as the pale coloring would have had positive survival value until the blond gene showed up which has the same Vitamin D value, enabling women to develop broad childbirth friendly pelvises.
Regarding Flores person, I think that the island must have been much larger when the ice age ended, with the water 400 feet lower than now. As melting caused the sea to rise the people and other animals were forced into a smaller and smaller area, and miniturization enabled them to survive with fewer resources. I think other large animals also miniturized. I think this happened on Malta with elephants.