Why did neanderthals become extinct?
Neanderthals became extinct around 40,000 years ago, although their DNA lives on in some humans. The exact reasons for their extinction are unclear. However, some of these reasons are thought to include increased competition from early homosapiens, as well as interbreeding with them. Moreover, the inability to cope with extreme conditions such as climate change and natural disasters is another reason they went into extintion. The general consensus is that it is unlikely to have been one specific reason that caused their extinction, but rather a combination of many factors.
Eam : When comparing Neanderthals with Homo sapiens above, short limbs, large incisors and roots, thick metacaprpals and thick neck, intermediate skull shape, stooped and crude skeletal structure, low language skills and non-agricultural society, etc. We looked at the characteristics of Several inferences can be made from these.
First, short limbs, large incisors and roots, thick metacaprpals and a thick neck meant that Neanderthals were physically more powerful than Homo sapiens. However, running ability seems to have lagged behind.
Second, 'the shape of the skull, which is an intermediate evolutionary stage between Homo sapiens and gorilla', a stooped and crude skeletal structure (Not reaching full Upright), and low language ability, indicate that Neanderthal's intellectual ability was inferior to that of Homo sapiens.
In conclusion, it seems that Neanderthals were slightly superior in physical abilities to modern humans, but relatively more inferior in intellectual abilities. So, survival competitiveness would have been weaker than that of Homo sapiens. However, due to the dominance of modern humans with overlapping lifestyles and territories, competition could not be avoided, so it seems that they were eventually weeded out and became extinct. Due to differences in survival competitiveness, it is likely that Neanderthals were preceded by situations similar to those of North American Indians induced by European immigrants.
But I don't see ancestral traits as the cause of 'what happened to the North American Indians'. According to the principle of neuroplasticity, we have adapted to different environments, and if the results of different environmental adaptations compete, the aggressive results tend to outperform the competition. However, it appears that Neanderthals were clearly inferior in terms of intellectual abilities.
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