Homo Neanderthalensis Research Paper

Have you ever heard the expression “You are acting like a Neanderthal”? Well if you have, you know where this research essay is going. If you have not heard or understood the meaning of this phrase, you will soon. Homo neanderthalensis or Neanderthal was the modern human’s closest extinct relative. The Neanderthals were the previous hominid before the Homo sapiens or modern humans. The name “Neanderthal” is derived from the origin of the first specimen discovered. That specimen was found in the Neander Valley or Tal in German. Naturally, they called this new hominid “Homo neanderthalensis’. There are a few questions everyone thinks when researching the Neanderthals, where does it come from? Were they superior to Homo sapiens (modern humans)? Why did this species of hominids die off? These are few of the thought
Where did it come from? Researchers carefully examined the genomes of our ancestors and found a direct link to the genus Homo heidelbergensis. Homo heidelbergensis roamed Africa over 700,000 years ago. Between 300,000 to 400,000 years ago a small group of Homo heidelbergensis traveled to Europe and East Asia. When they got there and settled down, they eventually evolved into the Homo neanderthalensis. This led to the estimated 400,000 years of the Homo neanderthalensis. Naturally, the Homo neanderthalensis did eventually disappear and get extinct. How did that happen? There are many speculations to how Neanderthals went extinct; this is an on-going debate. The most popular speculation is that the Neanderthals, and Homo sapiens (which are the direct descent of Neanderthals), interbred with one another. This resulted in the Neanderthal genomes eventually dissolving into what are known as modern humans. There are also many other theories about the demise of the Neanderthals. We hope one day we will uncover the truth behind their