Human evolution is the origin and evolution of Homo sapiens as a species that can be distinguished from other hominids, great apes, and mammals. Neanderthals are a unique species as they can be either classified as a subspecies of Homo sapiens as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, or can be classified as a distinct and separate species as Homo neanderthalensis. Though Neanderthals are presently considered an extinct species, evidence indicates that H.

taxonomic status of Mystery Skull #1 is most likely Neanderthal. The reasons for assigning the skull to this taxon are readily stated. Mystery Skull #1 looks morphologically similar to a modern human in many ways. The orbital sockets and zygomatic protrusions are similarly spaced, and the dentition is remarkably similar to that of a modern human. However there is a noticeably more pronounced brow ridge on the skull which is

This postmodern view of culture is applicable in the 20th century analyses and discussions introduced by Boyd and Richerson. In effect, the first assumption explicates how culture brings forth history, and in history, "qualitative different trajectories" occur: "...the dynamics of the system must be path dependent; isolated populations or societies must tend to diverge even when they start from the same initial condition and evolve in similar environments" (186). After

A 1400-year-old volcanic or other induced "winter" likely spurred the divergence possibly even later than 150,000 years ago, brought about by an explosion of Toba in Sumatra. The elimination of this bottleneck 10, 000 years later allowed another wave of emigration from Africa. Volcanic winter may have succeeded in the reductions of populations to levels low enough for founder effects, genetic drift and local adaptations to produce rapid population

Marcellin Boule who first identified the Neanderthals as the "missing link," a "primitive evolutionary link to modern man" In many ways, there are clues that this may have been true. First of all, the Neanderthal is one of the first hominids to have an upright stature as close to ours as it may be. Second of all, despite an obviously less qualified brain, the Neanderthal had the ability to create

Neanderthal man The debate on Neanderthal man's place in human evolution has continued unabated since the discovery of the first Neanderthal fossil in 1856. One camp believes Neanderthal man is a human ancestor and should be classified as a subspecies of modern man -- homo sapien neandertalis. The opposing view argues that Neanderthal man is a distinct species - homo neandertalis - a species entirely separate from modern humans. This