Comments on: Superior Navigation Secret to Humans’ Success? http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/2012/05/superior-navigation-secret-to-humans-success/ Meet the members of the tangled human family tree Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:56:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: J. http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/2012/05/superior-navigation-secret-to-humans-success/#comment-637 J. Thu, 17 May 2012 18:19:17 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/?p=985#comment-637 A friend who knows about these subjects much more than I do told me once that the reconstructions of Neanderthals we see today are way too H. sapiens-like. He says that the more we learn about Neanderthal behavior, and the narrower the bridge between them and us becomes, the more we assume that they should look just like us, simply because they exhibit many traits that today are considered exclusively human. Some of the reconstructions we see of Neanderthals today aren´t distinguishable from modern sapiens reconstructions anymore; even the size of their legendary nose has been reduced, they are shown practically hairless, etc. It's like we are psychologically pre-disposed against the idea of a non-human-looking creature having such human traits as those inferred for Neanderthals. Yet their anatomy shows they were different; very similar to us, but not the same. I would really like to read Erin's thoughts about this :> A friend who knows about these subjects much more than I do told me once that the reconstructions of Neanderthals we see today are way too H. sapiens-like. He says that the more we learn about Neanderthal behavior, and the narrower the bridge between them and us becomes, the more we assume that they should look just like us, simply because they exhibit many traits that today are considered exclusively human. Some of the reconstructions we see of Neanderthals today aren´t distinguishable from modern sapiens reconstructions anymore; even the size of their legendary nose has been reduced, they are shown practically hairless, etc. It’s like we are psychologically pre-disposed against the idea of a non-human-looking creature having such human traits as those inferred for Neanderthals.
Yet their anatomy shows they were different; very similar to us, but not the same.

I would really like to read Erin’s thoughts about this :>

]]> By: Constance http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/2012/05/superior-navigation-secret-to-humans-success/#comment-629 Constance Mon, 07 May 2012 13:05:07 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/?p=985#comment-629 I live in south Florida which has a diverse population from around the world. Today's young people look past skin color, and, because of their attitude, we will see more and more a blending of the races. I suspect the same thing happened to the Neanderthals. They mixed their genes and, over time, humans became dominant. The racial factor will disappear next. It may take a couple hundred years, but I think it's inevitable. IMHO. I live in south Florida which has a diverse population from around the world. Today’s young people look past skin color, and, because of their attitude, we will see more and more a blending of the races. I suspect the same thing happened to the Neanderthals. They mixed their genes and, over time, humans became dominant. The racial factor will disappear next. It may take a couple hundred years, but I think it’s inevitable. IMHO.

]]> By: Ralph Levitt http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/2012/05/superior-navigation-secret-to-humans-success/#comment-628 Ralph Levitt Mon, 07 May 2012 03:10:36 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/?p=985#comment-628 Our ancestors met and absorbed many of our cousins. In addition to Neanderthals-------Denisovans, Red Deer Cave people, Erectus in various forms. These combinations are the basis for today's human diversity. If they met, they would have copulated. If that produced fertile offspring, they would have combined genes and characteristics. We've finally found a big part of the solution to an old question. Our ancestors met and absorbed many of our cousins.
In addition to Neanderthals——-Denisovans, Red
Deer Cave people, Erectus in various forms.
These combinations are the basis for today’s human
diversity.
If they met, they would have copulated. If that produced
fertile offspring, they would have combined genes and
characteristics.
We’ve finally found a big part of the solution to an old
question.

]]> By: Ralph Levitt http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/2012/05/superior-navigation-secret-to-humans-success/#comment-627 Ralph Levitt Mon, 07 May 2012 00:09:41 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/?p=985#comment-627 The Neanderthals went the same way as the Sumerians, Avars, Galatians, Phrygians and so many others-----------they were absorbed. No need for "navigation." The Neanderthals went the same way as the Sumerians, Avars,
Galatians, Phrygians and so many others———–they were
absorbed.
No need for “navigation.”

]]> By: Don http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/2012/05/superior-navigation-secret-to-humans-success/#comment-626 Don Sun, 06 May 2012 17:42:37 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/hominids/?p=985#comment-626 It doesn't really matter how Neanderthals became extinct because we never will really ever know unless we had a time machine. The method of extinction for Neanderthals that I prefer is through mating with humans. Of the many facial reconstructions of Neanderthal that I have seen, I can't imagine humans not mating with them; the Neanderthals didn't seem that different. I have seen odder pairings walking through the mall. Many of us have seen through our daily lives people with large noses and slanting foreheads although not to the degree of Neanderthals. Could those facials features be echoes of past pairings? I think that it could. It doesn’t really matter how Neanderthals became extinct because we never will really ever know unless we had a time machine. The method of extinction for Neanderthals that I prefer is through mating with humans. Of the many facial reconstructions of Neanderthal that I have seen, I can’t imagine humans not mating with them; the Neanderthals didn’t seem that different. I have seen odder pairings walking through the mall. Many of us have seen through our daily lives people with large noses and slanting foreheads although not to the degree of Neanderthals. Could those facials features be echoes of past pairings? I think that it could.

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