Neanderthals Content

Neandertals Were Choosy About Making Bone Tools

Andy Fell — May 08, 2020 - 8:00am

Evidence continues to mount that the Neandertals, who lived in Europe and Asia until about 40,000 years ago, were more sophisticated people than once thought. A new study from 51�ԹϺ�� Davis shows that Neandertals chose to use bones from specific animals to make a tool for specific purpose: working hides into leather.

Did Artistic Ability Give Homo Sapiens an Edge Over Neanderthals?

Karen Michele Nikos — September 18, 2018 - 9:39am

Spear-throwing gave homo sapiens better eye-hand coordination, smarter brains, 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study suggests.

Neanderthals’ Lack of Drawing Ability May Relate to Hunting Techniques

Karen Michele Nikos — February 08, 2018 - 4:56pm

Richard Coss, a professor emeritus of psychology at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis, says the hand-eye coordination involved in both hunting with throwing spears and drawing could explain why modern humans became smarter than Neanderthals.

The Fate of Neanderthal Genes

Andy Fell — November 08, 2016 - 12:14pm

The Neanderthals disappeared about 30,000 years ago, but little pieces of them live on in the form of DNA sequences scattered through the modern human genome. A new study by geneticists at the University of California, Davis, shows why these traces of our closest relatives are slowly being removed by natural selection.