[HoosierHawk]

Reconstruction of a Neanderthal child's face (Image: Anthropological Institute, University of Zürich)

A fair-skinned, light-haired Neaderthal? I thought that look came much later, but I'm not a student of evolution.

[blam]

"A fair-skinned, light-haired Neaderthal? I thought that look came much later, but I'm not a student of evolution."

That Image came from a skeleton that many think is a Neanderthal/Modern Human Hybrid. The original image and story is at the link below.

The Neanderthal Theory

[pierrem15]

The Neanderthals developed in Europe 100-200K years before moder humans arrived, so it makes sense that the environment would have favored development of the same adaptations to a cold, cloudy climate. The skeletons also show a similar shape with modern Europeans (thicker than Africans with shorter limbs and larger than Asians). This may be genetic, but the notion that modern Europeans are partly descended from Neanderthals seems less and less substantiated by genetic evidence.

One major difference is the incredible muscle development in adult Neanderthal males: about the same as modern weightlifters who press 400+ pounds. You definitely wouldn't want to arm wrestle one in a bar.