Neanderthal Expert's WILD THEORY May Change History Forever

Neanderthals are not our brothers or cousins, writes French archaeologist and Neanderthal Hunter Ludovik Slimak. The Neanderthal cannot be compared to anything we are familiar with in a world where difference, otherness, and classification are increasingly frowned upon. The Neanderthal is fundamentally subversive, And this subversion tests our intelligence. Are we really prepared to face this, Slimak asks?

Indeed, the real Neanderthal has eluded us as we have reconstructed it from the bones of various fossils. Not as a true historical or scientific entity, but as a physical entity in its own right. This haunts everyone's imaginations, including those of researchers who can think imaginatively, Slimak concluded.

Slimak, a distinguished paleoanthropologist at the University of Toulouse, and modern-day "Indiana Jones" has spent over three decades researching Neanderthals. Slimak promotes understanding Neanderthals on their own terms, emphasizing their distinct intelligence, cultural practices, and social structures.

SOURCES:

[HighlyCompelling]

The Neanderthal is fundamentally subversive, And this subversion tests our intelligence. Are we really prepared to face this, Slimak asks?

[jayffemt]

Saying that modern humans are "extremely efficient" could mean many different things. We farm more efficiently now than ever, but we've also shown horrifying efficiency in other areas.

[davewalter]

Something about the last part bothers me. The statement about homosapiens being effective and Neanderthals being creative. it seems lacking in its breadth about a species.

[theeddorian]

This debate has been going on since the first Neanderthal discovery was published. Some European anthropologists argued that the bones might be modern, "of a low type, possibly Irish, ..." if I recall the quotation correctly. Then too, most of the stooped shambling "reconstructions" were based on an arthritic skeleton that would have experienced pain simply walking. The argument over whether Neanderthal was species or a subspecies is also long standing.

[ragdolltrucking]

there were alot of books written about "wild man" legends of the native americans in canada being neanderthals, just based on the unique way they hunted, their poor communication skills, and the fact that native women were said to very rarely be able to conceive children from them suggesting they were genetically different, they were said to have been fought to extinction 1600 years ago in northern ontario and quebec, and died out about 500 years ago in british columbia, they were also said to live in isolated family groups and would all meet in one place once every three years to socialize, one of the places they were said to meet is now a resort north of vancouver
when natives knew they were migrating to those meeting places they were very careful not to go anywhere alone in the woods

[marvinegreen]

I read in "I Can't Remember What I Forgot" of a study that tasked young people against older individuals. While the younger people appeared more active and energetic the older individuals tended on average to complete the tasks in approximately the same time frame. The conclusion was that younger less experienced individuals try more dead ends while the more experienced ones knew what not to do. An older brain (like mine) has shrunk by about 10% compared to my 22-year-old self. Google tells me I've lost 14 IQ points. The study concluded that the hemispheres of the human brain begin to network between them in compensation for the loss of short-term memory, imparting wisdom and, related to this video and the authors conclusions, possibly also allowing for the accumulation and transfer of survival technology from one generation to the next. So I'm making 2 points: 1. that bun in the back of Neanderthals' head relates to ocular specialization and hunting, and that Neanderthals matured slightly earlier than Sapience Sapience (implying shorter lifespans). 2. And secondly (and/or) that longevity and elder care alone could account for the ability to accumulate and pass on survival techniques. While my 2 points don't align much, more than relative brain volumes needs to be considered.

[TheTamriel]

The Neanderthals doubtlessly evolved from the European _H. heidelbergensis_ and the transitional phase between the two species we find at Sima de los Huesos (Spain) c. 350 kya. Since _H. sapiens_ evolved from the African _H. heidelbergensis_ with the transitional phase at Florisbad (South Africa) c. 260 kya and Jebel Irhoud (Morocco) c. 300 kya, we are on the safe side to state that Neanderthals and _H. sapiens_ are indeed cousins with a Common Ancestor, _H. heidelbergensis, _ no matter that Ludovic Slimak might be contrary to it.

[fidelogos]

I question whether we can ever understand another species when we think we are the pinnacle of evolution.

[AnotherCanadianSenior]

How many experts does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Dozens as some will deny the existence of light; others will want to measure the darkness; some will argue that we are putting our own prejudices about light vs dark to the forefront and a few will say "what about using an oil lamp as the olde ways are, of course, the best.

[franciscoramonlopezaragon]

Mi teoría de la desaparición de los Neanderthales es una mezcla de factores: mestizaje con otros tipos de sapiens, mayor vulnerabilidad ante ciertas enfermedades, menor capacidad prolífica producto de la endogamia y por supuesto tb enfrentamientos armados y guerras con los sapiens por la disputa de los territorios de caza...

[markreamer]

I think there was very little difference between sapien, neanderthal, and other homo-species. As a farmer I know that you can breed different breeds of horses for specific traits. You can also breed horses with donkeys and make a mule, but mules are sterile and can not reproduce. For people to be walking around today with neanderthal DNA, the difference had to be significantly less than the difference between a horse and a donkey.

[MarioBuildreps]

The different species probably merged gradually from multiple species into one current specie over a few hundred thousand of years, instead of "having battled" each other.

[sorciere...]

Ive never thought that the were ape like .

[JungleJargon]

Neanderthals are our Eurasian cousins.

[larryreese]

OK, so here is my question. If interbreeding and isolation led to Neanderthal's demise, why did it take thousands of years to happen? They were around a long time before we appeared on the scene and if interbreeding played a part it looks to me like they would have ceased to have existed long before we came on the scene. My bet is that they had no resistance to disease brought by the new comers.

[st.george]

I love the translation of Neanderthal, New man valley. Most of us have 3 to 4 % Neanderthal DNA. The shocker is what ethnology has the least.

[charlesjmouse]

If you can't at the very least attempt to put current social pressures to one side when applying your trade you are not a scientist at all! Our study of Neanderthals may inform how we see ourselves and society, but to deliberately to apply our transient social whims to them is dangerous folly.

[johnmurkin-jdnv]

A concise and thoughtful insight into Slimak’s hypothesis: Sapiens’ efficiency normativity and uniformity outperformed Neanderthal individuality creativity and isolation.

[chrisrus]

It's not the job of experts to defend the reputation of the subject.

[jerrybowen]

They survived over 400, 000 years in a much more difficult world, living and hunting in groups, making warm clothes from hides, much like native Americans. We see an abundance of cave art. We know they honored their dead, same as us. Bigger, stronger and smarter with bigger brains. It's my theory that they are the mysterious and elusive ancient stone builders. We Sapiens must have played a role in their decline, but we also carry a lot of Neanderthal genes. Here's the clincher: Academia admits regular neanderthals lived until ~10, 000 years ago in parts of Siberia. This explains why our mythology and legends, from all over the globe are filled with fantastic stories of giants, Nephilim, red-haired giants, etc. What else would you call them if you didn't know any better?