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LadyEllen -> RE: "Skull suggests human-Neanderthal link" (5/12/2007 5:11:14 AM)
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There was a TV documentary on a while ago about Neanderthals. They looked as far as they could at how their bodies were built (from skeletal remains) and posited some interesting stuff out about them;
- Neanderthals were not very good at running or jumping (leg structure and poorly developed balance). It was posited that this was a main contributor to their slaughter by humans, since we had not only the capacity to run them down but also we apparently had spear throwing technology which they lacked. Our advantage came apparently from living and hunting on prairie whilst they had evolved to live in dense forest where running and kills from distance were impossible.
- They were very strong - the average Neanderthal was much stronger than even the strongest human atheletes (skeletal structure and density and muscle attachments)
- They may have spoken - but their voices were high pitched; a Neanderthal male would have had a voice similar to a human child (size and structure of voicebox)
Given their supposed look, I cant imagine many human males willingly interbreeding with Neanderthal females. Given their supposed look, I cant imagine many human females willingly interbreeding with Neanderthal males. But it could have happened I would suppose.
Given that a human female was caught hold of by a Neanderthal male, she would find it very difficult to escape due to his strength. Alternatively, a Neanderthal male with perhaps less pronounced features might have been thought to be a pretty good mate, given his strength and consequent capacity to defend any offspring. I have to say though, that a 300lb ugly guy with a child's voice wouldnt be my choice particularly!
Given that a human male was desperate enough and since we have plenty enough cases nowadays of problem sexual behaviour in males, its not beyond the bounds of possibility for him to have secured by hunting a Neanderthal female and overpowered her even though her strength would likely match his.
Overall though, I would put any interbreeding down to some sort of religious reason, with one or perhaps both sides seeing the other as in some way endowed with special significance, and any offspring as being specially blessed by virtue of the mixing of that side with the other.
E
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