Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are an extinct species of the genus Homo that has lived with humans for a long time (Homo Sapiens), that was during the second half of the Pleistocene, 230,000 to 28,000 years ago. They have spread throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Middle East. In this article, we will talk about the differences between neanderthal brains and homo sapiens.
Paleontological studies indicate that Neanderthals and humans have a common origin, so they share certain morphological characteristics and have similar cognitive abilities.
- In addition.
- There is also evidence that the two species have crossed throughout their history generating hybrid offspring.
- So our human genome currently contains 2% Neanderthals.
Let’s see what the morphological characteristics of Neanderthals are, focusing on their brains, and explain how they may have influenced their extinction.
Anatomically, Neanderthals were stronger than Homo Sapiens, with a wider chest and hips; despite this robustness, they had shorter limbs.
Its skull was characterized by its double arch of eyebrows, narrow forehead, absence of chin and cranial capacity slightly greater than that of man.
These cranial features give clues about the appearance of your face that may have a prominent nose, deeper cheekbones, and a somewhat bulging upper jaw. The prominent nose can be explained as an adaptive improvement to withstand the harsh glaciations of its time.
Neanderthals were omnivores, as were humans; depending on their habitat, they explored a wide variety of foods, from large mammals to fish and crustaceans, without rejecting harvested vegetables and fruits.
On the other hand, anatomical studies of remains found in Neanderthals provide information on the possibility of articulated language.
In addition, thanks to many excavations, they are known to have a complex organizational capacity, worship the dead, care for their patients, manufacture tools and even create art.
Neanderthals’ brains are larger than humans, and their brain growth was also slower than ours.
It’s very special: it takes a lot of energy to run such a large brain, so it took a lot of nutrients and care during childhood to ensure its development.
This means that, despite the difference in size, the brains of Neanderthals and humans have matured in the same way, so the growth pattern between the two species was inherited by a common ancestor.
This feature was very important for the adaptation of humans, and we now know that it was also important for Neanderthals: a longer development time allows for a larger brain and therefore better mental abilities.
This similarity between the development of the human brain and that of neanderthals was discovered through detailed analysis of the remains of a Neanderthal baby found in the 49,000-year-old El Sidrón cave in Asturias.
Another difference between Neanderthals’ brains and humans is the form. Our brains are proportionally spherical like a football, while the neanderthals’ brains were a little longer, like a rugby ball. The consequences of this anatomical difference in the shape of the brain are unknown to this. Day.
Despite the large brain size of Neanderthals, their cerebellum is smaller than that of humans, this small detail can make a big difference between the two species.
The cerebellum is a very important part of the brain because it regulates cognitive abilities such as concentration, memorization, cognitive flexibility and language understanding and production.
On the other hand, the occipital lobe of neanderthals was larger than that of the ancient Homo Sapiens, so Neanderthals may have better visual abilities, since this region of the brain is responsible for processing the images we receive.
The extinction of Neanderthals is one of the great mysteries of history. The most important factors considered are the expansion of Homo Sapiens in Eurasia and progressive climate change.
Analysis of neanderthal remains found in various locations, from Russia to Spain, revealed that this species of Homo disappeared 40,000 years ago, with the Iberian Peninsula being the last habitat of neanderthals.
Some researchers believe that the Neanderthal brain may be one of the many reasons for its extinction, especially its reduced cerebellum.
Unlike Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals had lower cognitive and social ability, so they did not adapt easily to environmental changes, so ancient humans had a higher chance of survival due to the larger size of their cerebellum.