Neanderthal man really not as clever as modern man?

Question

Reading recently that dna of neanderthal man is not same as modern man and therfore conclusion that he was a less advanced offshoot of a previous ancestor as brain size was larger how do we know he was less and not more advanced then ourselves

Answer 1

Modern humans define advanced as being like a modern human. How could they possibly be more "advanced" under that standard. My opinion is that modern humans had more "advanced" social structures and weapons and displaced them in all environments that were more suitable to our lifestyle. They likely needed much more space because as Ed pointed out they were carnivores. They also need deep forests to ambush their prey. Moderns eventually got around to penetrating all their territory and killed them all or at least partially absorbed them. I suspect it was more a matter of culture than innate ability.

Answer 2

Neanderthal's had similar body structures as humans, but they did have differences. Neanderthals were definitely more robust compared to humans who are considered "gracile". Neanderthals actually had larger brain size on average than we do, but they are believed to be less intelligent. I'm sure Neanderthal's did much more physical work and exercise than modern day humans. This probably allowed them to have more muscle but they did not always eat healthy. Neanderthal bones show many signs of disease and infection. Without the right kind of food they would not have looked like an modern day body builder. We can't really know for sure, just make guesses based on the fossils we've found so far.

Answer 3

Neandertal's main handicap may have been, they were carnivoirs rather than omnivoirs as was sapien. Homo sapien could subsist for long periods of time on either meat or fruit & vegetables. Neandertal was undoubtably better adapted to cold climates than was sapien & many hypothesize that some neandertal genes were introgressed into the sapien line in the Mid East & Europe. So far we've not come up with proven reason for the extinction of Homo neandertal.
Homo erectus is undoubtably the ancestor of Homo sapien. Below the neck erectus & sapien are almost identical (erectus being slightly more robust of bone). The Neandertal, has an 'A' shaped rib cage Vs the 'V' shaped rib cage of sapien & erectus. Erectus, like sapien, was a hunter/gatherer... so unless a skull is found, erectus may be improperly classified as sapien. Therefore, some suspect Neandertal evolved from erectus much earlier than conventionally thought. It is also possible that erectus survived to more recent times than did neandertal.
Ongoing sequencing of the complete Homo neandertal genome is due to be completed in about 18 months. This will answer many pressing questions about Neandertal/Sapien interbreeding.
Added:
The neandertal MtDNA tests of some 6 or 7 yrs ago only tested one chromosome. This proves nothing & would have completely ignored all DNA, except from the direct female ancestor of the tested neandertal. A poor bit of evidence for some of the broad statements made about neandertal.

Answer 4

Neanderthals actually had larger brains then humans, but not as high of a cranial vault (the best part). They were also restricted anatomically: incomplete parts for a complex spoken language, stocky appendages that are bad for long term running/hunting.

They were less adept than modern humans at hunting, and were likely unable to create strategies. They also were not able to build huts like H. sapiens did. The fact that almost all neanderthal skeletons exhibit numerous fractures, shows that they were likely not as clever as H. sapiens was.

Answer 5

By 'clever' you mean what, exactly?

If he was capable or surviving and was comfortable in his world, then did he need to be any more 'clever' than that?

To have all of the gizmo's and wizardry we have doesn't really make 'us clever.' It shows that some of us are 'clever' enough to invent these things while some other guys are 'clever enough' to sell us the ideas so that we'd buy into them and earn enough to spend enough to demonstrate the sales guys correct.

Having the technology and then putting this technology to the use that some people do, does not really indicate any degree of cleverness ~ let alone brightness ~ and to say nothing of any intelligence.

Sash.

Answer 6

I know they keep telling us that we developed bigger brains and became intelligent but when it comes to Neanderthal, a bigger brain means nothing. I think Neanderthals are
discriminated against. Can we bring lawsuit for them? I bet it could get to a really high court.

Answer 7

What you state is not the case.
There is nothing to suggest that Neanderthal man was anything other than fully human.
Neandertals easily fall within the wide range of skeletal variation that exists in mankind.

They buried their dead, they played musical instruments,

They were humans - like you and me.

Answer 8

Anything that came before Human Beings were apes. Some apes are more intelligent than others, but they are, none the less apes. Totally different species from Human Beings altogether. A lot of people don't know that it seems !

Answer 9

Actually, recent research has declared the Neanderthals were pretty intelligent compared even to today's standards. They developed many things we use today. They had their own funerals, clothing, their own way of finding food. Basically they were just living like you and me.

Answer 10

We already know neanderthal man painted and made musical instruments, clothes and had funeral ceremonies. Is that not indicative of intelligence?