THE REAL NEANDERTHAL
THE RECENT PROGRAM ON THE NATURE OF THINGS —— David Suzuki----- only available in Canada.
The Real Neanderthal
Neanderthals weren't brutish or dim-witted. New discoveries reveal they were more human than we ever thought!
Neanderthals, our distant cousins, first appeared in Eurasia around 400,000 years ago. They’ve long been portrayed as sturdy, but brutish and dim-witted: the ultimate caveman. But ever since the first Neanderthal fossil was discovered in the mid-19th century, it’s been impossible to grasp who they really were and how they lived —until now.
New archeological discoveries, combined with cutting-edge scientific techniques, are bringing us closer than ever to Neanderthals. The Real Neanderthal, a new documentary from The Nature of Things, follows experts around the world as they uncover incredible new evidence which upends our perception of them. It seems Neanderthals were actually much more like us than we imagined.
The journey begins in the Netherlands, where world-renowned reconstruction artists — and identical twin brothers — Adrie and Alfons Kennis are using archaeological evidence and forensic methods to build life-like figures of a Neanderthal father and daughter.
[AND AS I’VE SUSPECTED FOR MANY YEARS, YOU CAN TAKE A SKULL OF ANY HUMAN, TAKE SKULLS FROM THE SAME FAMILY, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, COUSINS, ETC. AND YOU SIMPLY DO NOT KNOW THE FACIAL BUILD UP OF TENDONS, MUSCLES, TISSUE AND ETC. TWO BROTHERS OR TWO SISTERS CAN LOOK SO DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER, YOU’D NEVER THINK THEY WERE FROM THE SAME FAMILY. I MYSELF AM EXAMPLE OF THAT VERY THING; PEOPLE SAID I DID NOT LOOK LIKE MY FATHER OR MY MOTHER. I WOULD LOOK IN THE MIRROR AS AN OLDER TEEN, AND I COULD EASILY SEE I DID NOT LOOK LIKE MY DAD OR MY MOM. WE HAD A FAMILY GATHERING WHEN I WAS 16, AND I MET A FEMALE RELATIVE, ONE GENERATION OLDER THAN MYSELF—— WOW….. IT WAS AS CLEAR AS DAY LIGHT, I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN TAKEN AS HER SON. SHE AND I LOOKED VERY SIMILAR FACE STRUCTURE WISE. I HAVE A PHOTO OF US ALL STANDING; I’VE SHOWN IT TO SOME OVER MY LIFETIME, AND THEY HAVE ALL AGREED I WOULD BE TAKEN AS HER SON, AND NOT THE SON OF MY DAD AND MOM, ALSO IN THE PHOTO.
FOR DECADES, WELL ALL MY LIFE, EVOLUTIONISTS HAVE TAKEN THESE SO-CALLED Neanderthal SKULLS AND MADE THEM LOOK MORE LIKE APES THAN HUMAN.
NOW THE REAL TRUTH THEY ARE DISCOVERING AND CAN NOT BACK OUT OF IT—— Keith Hunt]
Scientists and archaeologists take us through their surprising discoveries. Neanderthals were organized, social and caring. Ambitious adventurers, they roamed Eurasia in small clans of all ages. They had advanced building skills and an astonishing mastery of fire. They might have been some of the world’s first artists, capable of abstract thought.
Neanderthals had advanced knowledge of healing, using plants as painkillers and antiseptics. They also crafted remarkable tools and used hunting techniques we never thought them capable of. For archaeologist João Zilhão, the evidence is clear: “[If] you assess intelligence on the basis of what people actually did, you find no difference between what people we call Neanderthals and the people whom we call modern humans in Africa were doing at the same time.”
But the most amazing discovery is how their story intertwines with our own. Forensic studies show that, at some point, Neanderthals and our direct ancestors — Homo sapiens — crossed paths. Our two species were similar enough that they could produce successful offspring. Even though Neanderthals disappeared tens of thousands of years ago, parts of them still walk the Earth today. Neanderthal DNA makes up approximately two per cent of the genome of people of non-African descent. Not only that, but some of our physical traits and mental health issues — like depression and addiction — may be linked to our distant cousins.
Through the remarkable work of international experts, the stunning landscapes where Neanderthals once lived and roamed, and the fascinating cave interiors they explored, The Real Neanderthal answers bold questions about who we are and how we came to be.
A much clearer picture is just beginning to take shape.
The Nature of Things·Article
5 ways Neanderthals were more like modern humans than we thought
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Often portrayed as dim-witted brutes, new science is proving Neanderthals were more like us than we thought
Graham Duggan · Posted: Feb 16, 2021 1:27 PM ET | Last Updated: February 19
Often portrayed as the ultimate caveman, Neanderthals have been thought of as tough brutes that quickly went extinct with the arrival of modern humans. But the true story of Neanderthals is more intriguing. As revealed in The Real Neanderthal, a new documentary from The Nature of Things, they were more intelligent, emotional, caring and artistic than we thought.
They were expert hunters
With hunched shoulders, a drooping face and holding a club, artists have depicted Neanderthals as simple dummies.
But new research shows nothing could be further from the truth. Their adaptability in hunting techniques and varied diet helped them to survive. They ate nuts, vegetables and grains — in addition to meat — depending on where they lived. And the discovery of a 400,000-year-old spear fragment, along with younger intact spears, suggests it was their weapon of choice for hunting.
Simple in design, the Neanderthal spear was carved with stone tools and was thought to be a short-range weapon, used only within five metres of their prey. But to paleolithic archeologist Annemieke Milks, that didn't make sense. "They would have had to disadvantage the animals first in some way," she said. "They would have been putting themselves in very dangerous situations with great frequency." So she put the ancient weapon to the test.
[Archeologists, using tone tools, reconstructed a Neanderthal spear, and tested it with a world-class javelin thrower. The result shows the spear was a powerful weapon in the hands of a skilled hunter].
The spear performs more like a modern-day javelin and can be thrown accurately from a long distance. With practice, a Neanderthal hunter would be able to take down prey from an impressive distance.
They lived with family and cared for their sick
Around 50,000 years ago, a Neanderthal was hurt — badly. From remains discovered in Shanidar Cave in Iraq, it's clear the individual had serious injuries. His leg and foot were wounded, probably giving him a limp; he had an amputated arm with multiple fractures; and he was partly deaf. In addition, his skull received a crushing blow, likely impairing his vision. But Penny Spikins, a paleolithic archaeologist at the University of York in the U.K., discovered something even more remarkable about the Neanderthal: he survived with his injuries for more than a decade.
As debilitating as his injuries seemed, they show signs of healing, and it's thought he lived to age 40 or 50. He received a surprising level of care and support from his clan-mates.
The ancient bones of Neanderthals show signs of considerable medicinal knowledge; they used natural painkillers and antibiotics to relieve pain and induce healing. "In many cases, they've got such severe illnesses that those around them will only have been treating them to ... remove the pain and make them feel better," said Spikins. "There's no real incentive for them to economically or practically look after these individuals. They're doing so because they care deeply."
Neanderthals might have been some of the world's first artists
Caves all over Europe are covered with prehistoric art, showing that its inhabitants were capable of abstract thinking.
But one paleontologist wanted to look a little deeper. Genevieve von Petzinger, from the University of Victoria, pored over paleolithic rock paintings from all over Europe and found what was hiding in the paintings was the most fascinating.
What she discovered among the depictions of humans and animals were geometric markings, "like lines, circles and dots," said von Petzinger. "I just wanted to know more."
After documenting paintings in 52 European caves, von Petzinger might have uncovered the earliest form of graphic communication. Because certain symbols were used over and over, it's clear to her the markings conveyed messages. "These were purposeful marks," she said. "There's no way that these weren't meaningful. I have no doubt that they knew exactly what they were saying."
While many experts previously believed the first prehistoric cave art dates to around 40,000 years ago, researchers have discovered paintings in Spain that are more than 64,000 years old — at least 20,000 years before modern humans ever set foot in Europe. This art could only have been made by Neanderthals, confirming them as Europe's, and possibly some of the world's, first artists.
We had a lot of time to get to know Neanderthals
……But starting around 35,000 years ago, Neanderthals disappeared. For a long time, it was believed the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe spelled the quick demise of Neanderthals. But recent discoveries suggest the oldest evidence of modern humans living in Europe dates to over 45,000 years ago, overlapping with Neanderthals for at least 10,000 years before they were gone.
Our species and Neanderthals had at least 10 millennia of cultural and behavioural interaction. And it's now clear Neanderthals shared much more with modern humans than just culture.
We all have a little Neanderthal in us
It appears in the thousands of years of sharing the land and intermingling with Neanderthals, Homo sapiens got up close and (very) personal with their cousins.
In 2010, scientists sequenced the Neanderthal genome from bone fragments and compared it to modern humans. This proves that in the more than 10,000-year overlap Homo sapiens had with Neanderthals, culture wasn't the only thing we shared — DNA was too.
Today, all humans of non-African descent have about two per cent of Neanderthal DNA in their genome — a parting gift from our distant cousins. But a recent study found people of African descent carry Neanderthal DNA as well — just under 0.5 per cent of their genome. It's believed the Europeans who migrated back to Africa over the last 20,000 years carried the genes with them.
The story of Neanderthals is being rewritten. From their intelligence and abstract thinking to their emotional lives, our distant cousins were not the oafish cavemen we've been led to believe — and they still walk among us today.
…………………………
NOW REMEMBER WHAT YOU HAVE READ IS FROM EVOLUTION TEACHERS; THEY ARE NOW HAVING TO ADMIT THE UGLY HAIRY CAVE MAN DID NOT EXIST. THE NEANDERTHAL MAN-WOMAN-CHILD, WERE JUST PART OF THE HUMAN RACE THAT WANDERED OFF FROM THE MESOPOTAMIAN AREA, WAY DOWN THE LINE FROM ADAM AND EVE.
I’VE SAID FOR A LONG TIME THAT THE CREATION ACCOUNT IN GENESIS WAS AT LEAST 40,000 YEARS AGO AND COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MUCH LONGER, EVEN OVER 100,000 YEARS.
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN GOD SAID, “MAN IS OF ONE SPEECH, AND NOTHING WILL BE RESTRAINED FROM THEM DOING WHAT THEY WILL DO; LET’S GO DOWN AND CONFOUND THEIR LANGUAGE” SO GOD DID AND MANKIND WAS SCATTERED. THINGS WERE GOING WAY TO FAST FOR GOD’S TIME PLAN FOR HUMANS.
THE TWO BOOKS I’VE POSTED—— SECRETS OF LOST RACES……. AND……TREASURES OF LOST RACES…..
SHOW THINGS THAT MODERN EVOLUTIONISTS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT, BECAUSE THEY CAN’T EXPLAIN THEM IN A SLOW MILTI-MILLIONS OF YEARS FOR US TO EVOLVE AS WE ARE TODAY.
NOW THE NEANDERTHAL MAN HAS COME OUT OF THE CAVE TO SPEAR THEM TO DEATH!
Keith Hunt
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