Neanderthals Matured Faster Than Modern Man -Study

Science - Reuters ^ | 2004-04-28 | Patricia Reaney

[Junior]

LONDON (Reuters) - Neanderthals may conjure up images of an uncivilized, brutish species but they were surprisingly early developers, researchers said Wednesday.

Although Neanderthals disappeared from Europe about 30,000 years ago, scientists at the French research institute CRNS in Paris have uncovered new details about them by studying teeth fossils.

The findings, reported in the science journal Nature, suggest Neanderthals reached adulthood by the age of 15 -- about three years before early modern humans -- probably ate a high calorie diet and were a distinct species from modern humans.

"Neanderthals, despite having a large brain, were characterized by a short period of development," said Fernando Ramirez Rozzi.

Creatures with large brains tend to have a lengthier growth period and take longer to mature, but Ramirez Rozzi and his colleague Jose Maria Bermudez de Castro found that the opposite applied with Neanderthals.

"Until now the idea was: the longer the growth, the bigger the brain but in Neanderthals this relationship is completely broken," Ramirez Rozzi said in a telephone interview.

"This difference in growth between Neanderthals and modern humans is, I think, very strong proof of two different species," he added.

Why they developed so quickly is a puzzle but Ramirez Rossi suspects Neanderthals had a high mortality rate because of the hostile conditions in which they lived and they adapted to this by maturing quickly.

DENTAL GROWTH AND MATURITY

Dental growth records contain biological information and give an overall indication of the maturity of a species. Ramirez Rozzi and Bermudez de Castro studied the series of ridges, called perikymata, on teeth fossils.

They compared teeth fossils from Neanderthals dating from 130,000 to 28,000 years ago, earlier samples dating between 800,000 and 400,000 years and teeth fossils of homo sapiens that were 20,000-8,000 years old.

"Neanderthals were characterized by having the shortest period of dental growth," said Ramirez Rozzi.

Whether Neanderthals evolved gradually into modern humans or were displaced or killed off by them is a question still being debated by scientists. Some researchers believe there may have been interbreeding to some degree.

Neanderthals lived in caves or huts, used fires and tools and ate a variety of animals. They may have been cannibals and could have communicated with speech.

Jan Kelley, of the University of Illinois in Chicago, said in a commentary in the journal that more studies on teeth fossils are needed to support the conclusions reached by Ramirez Rozzi and Bermudez de Castro.

"Nonetheless, these authors have opened up what should prove to be a fruitful line of research into both the relationships and the palaeobiology of Neanderthals," Kelley said.

[em2vn]

Is there any fossil evidence to support the leap of one species to another? In fact is there any fossil evidence of any species, over any period of time, becoming another species?

[Modernman]

Is there any fossil evidence to support the leap of one species to another? In fact is there any fossil evidence of any species, over any period of time, becoming another species?

Yes (though species never "leap" into another species). If you've been on these threads for any amount of time, you would have seen repeated postings detailing in excrutiating detail evolution from fish to birds (or something along those lines). It's been done a million times, yet creationist keep asking the same old tired questions.

[Igraine]

I find your ideas fascinating. Please send me your literature.

[Iron Matron]

The Bible is the earliest recording of events by humans? Most certainly not. IIRC, writing developed about 6,000 years ago. The Bible is not that old.

---

You catch me mis-speaking everytime! I meant earliest record in the bible. Was trying to point out that the bible could perhaps agree with evolution within the species.

Sometimes, I wish I would have taken creative writing!

[PatrickHenry]

I find your ideas fascinating. Please send me your literature.

Wisdom begins here: TIME CUBE .

[Little Bill]

Agree, My Great Grand Dad, was the eldest he went to work when he was 14, share cropped, served in the Militia, labored and then contracted on the railroad. Married ran a general store, died an honored man.

My Great Grand Dad was a Mormon, and he was not thought of very highly, Sicilians may be a bit hard headed, but we all have a story to tell.

[ckilmer]

Dating Rules
Some girls have breasts you can set a dinner plate on: Question is are they old enough to date?

Some key tip offs.

1.) if they skip rather than walk--don't date them. they're too young.
2.)if they wear sneakers with little lights on them that wink on and off. don't date them. they're too young.

[em2vn]

I've been on here for several years. Your assertion that there is fossil records of fish evolving into birds is pure fabrication.
There has been much speculation that the similarities in bone structure or composition may indicate that some fish evolved into birds. The operative word is speculation. No body of evidence exists that can point to any clear example of evolution.
The doctrine of evolution is conjecture based upon a theory with massive gaps in the constructed reasoning.

[orionblamblam]

> The doctrine of evolution is conjecture based upon a theory with massive gaps in the constructed reasoning.

Indeed. Just like the "Zapruder Film" is pure bunk... a series of *unrelated* images strung together. There's no evidence at all that any motion occured between each image!

[/sarcasm]

[muawiyah]

You are correct that the Bible is not that old. On the other hand some of the stories reported in the Bible are as old as any writing system of which we have knowledge. Some of them are much older.

My favorites are those which are ALSO reported in Saami (Lapplander) petroglyphs which can be dated to nearly the end of the last serious glaciation.

[VadeRetro]

Good evidence that Neanderthals were Homo Sapiens - with either rickets, cancer, or a bone disease.

To what Junior has said, let me add a bell-shaped rib cage, an occipital bun, a brow ridge, and non-human ratios of upper/lower arm and upper/lower leg length.

[VadeRetro]

A classic post by Ichneumon, from fish to elephant in small steps.

[GATOR NAVY]

How can they tell anything about the syntax of their grammar? There are no written records of their language(s).

Yes, that was my question too.

[balrog666]

How can they tell anything about the syntax of their grammar? There are no written records of their language(s).

They make it up, just like all of their BS.

[blam]

The Neanderthal Theory

[em2vn]

I enjoyed the link you provided. However, I found that to make the material work one must assume and surmise to arrive at the desired conclusions.
Creationists are assailed for using faith in asserting that man was created by God. To accept the material in the link one must as well use faith in the evolution doctrine to explain away the assumption used to reach evolutionists desired ends.

[balrog666]

Riiiiiiight. All that evidence just doesn't count.

[general_re]

Wisdom begins here:

Wisdom ducks out for a quick smoke here.

[Modernman]

Wisdom ducks out for a quick smoke here.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: all of the evil people in Jack Chick tracts look a little, um, Judaic. Coincidence?

[Junior]

However, I found that to make the material work one must assume and surmise to arrive at the desired conclusions.

Completely ignoring the two centuries of research and observation that allowed researchers to build the knowledge base that you airily dismiss as assumptions and surmisals.