[MacDorcha]

Just an honest question:

If Neaderthals were so much like us, what killed them off?

[SunkenCiv]

Nothing. They didn't die out. Their descendants changed over time.

The Neandertal Enigma
by James Shreeve

Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]

So you see, it's the question itself that has been used to shape the debate.

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[blam]

"If Neaderthals were so much like us, what killed them off?"

See my post #1 where I said, "We are Neanderthals. I think they/we were assimilated.

Some interesting reading here also: The Neanderthal Theory