Neanderthals 101
Transcript
Neanderthals are often depicted as brutish cave men, but science shows that our early ancestors were actually quite advanced.
Neanderthals, or homo neanderthalensis, are our closest relatives in the human family tree.
The species lived from about 400,000 to 40,000 years ago and inhabited an area that stretched as far west as Europe’s Atlantic coast and as far east as central Asia.
Their habitat reached northward to modern day Belgium, making them the first humans to survive a cold, glacial ecosystem.
The north’s cold environment may have influenced neanderthals’ physique.
Their bodies were relatively short, with males averaging five feet, five inches and females five feet, one inch tall, and they were stocky with broad chests, bulky torsos, and muscular limbs.
These adaptations helped neanderthals generate and retain body heat.
Also, their noses were large and had relatively high bridges.
This created a nasal chamber that warmed and humidified the cold, dry air they’d breathe in northern regions.
Apart from adaptations that helped neanderthals survive a harsh, wintry habitat, the species also developed large brains.
They were similar in size to modern humans’ brains and were often larger.
An increase in brain size may have played a significant role in another type of adaptation, culture.
Culture is indicative of an intelligent species, and archeological evidence suggests that neanderthals had a relatively sophisticated culture.
They built shelters, made and wore clothing, and created advanced tools.
In fact, they were the first human species to make tools out of bone, not just stone.
They also created objects that served ornamental purposes.
Neanderthals are suspected to be the first humans to carry out the symbolic gesture of burying their dead and adorning grave sites with flowers.
Neanderthals may have also created what may be the world’s oldest cave art, which was found in Spain.
Despite advances in their culture, sometime after 40,000 years ago, neanderthals mysteriously disappeared.
Some scientists believe the neanderthals were killed or out competed by modern humans, or homo sapiens, who arrived in Europe at around the same time as the neanderthals’ extinction. However, another theory suggests that neanderthals mated with modern humans and were absorbed into the humans’ much larger population.
That may explain why most people of European or Asian descent have 1% to 2% neanderthal genes in their DNA.
For more than 150 years, neanderthals have perplexed anthropologists.
The first neanderthal fossil specimen was discovered in Belgium in 1829 by Philippe-Charles Schmerling.
However, it wasn’t officially classified as neanderthal until decades later.
The first fossil to be recognized as neandertahl and as an early human or genus homo fossil was found in 1856 by quarrymen in Germany.
The new species was named neanderthalensis after the area where the fossils were found, Neander Valley.
Neanderthals’ fossils tell us how evolution built them to be sturdy, to survive their harsh environment, but their tools, art, and DNA tell us that their resilience also involved innovation, creativity, and social behavior, much like homo sapiens today.
Vocabulary List
depict
(verb) to show an image of somebody/something in a picture
brutish
(adjective) savage and violent
advanced
(adjective) having a high level of development or sophistication
inhabit
(verb) to live in a particular place
glacial
(adjective) relating to or resembling a glacier (a slow-moving mass or river of ice, formed from snow on mountains or near the North Pole or South Pole)
physique
(noun) the physical structure of a person or animal
stocky
(adjective) having a short, thick body
broad
(adjective) having a large width
bulky
(adjective) large and heavy
muscular
(adjective) having well-developed muscles
limb
(noun) an arm or a leg; a similar part of an animal, such as a wing
retain
(verb) to keep something
humidify
(verb) to make or keep something moist or damp
harsh
(adjective) unpleasantly rough or severe
wintry
(adjective) relating to or characteristic of winter
indicative
(adjective) serving to indicate or point out something
sophisticated
(adjective) clever and complicated
ornamental
(adjective) serving or intended to decorate
carry out
(verb) to perform or complete an action
gesture
(noun) something that you do or say to show a particular feeling or intention
adorn
(verb) to decorate something
advance
(noun) progress or a development
mate
(verb) to have sex in order to produce young
descent
(noun) a person’s family origins
perplex
(verb) to cause someone to be baffled or confused
specimen
(noun) a representative individual of a group or type
quarrymen
(noun) people who work in a quarry, extracting stone
sturdy
(adjective) strongly built and able to withstand great force
resilience
(noun) the ability to recover quickly from difficulties
Grammar Point
In this lesson, we will:
– observe the verb “be” (is,are,was,were) used in the video
– observe the grammar patterns of those verbs in the sentences
The verb “be” has eight different forms:
– be,
– am,
– is,
– are,
– was,
– were,
– being,
– been
In general, the verb “be” can be used with these patterns:
– verb be + noun (description of someone or something)
– verb be + adjective (description of state, condition, emotion etc.)
– verb be + adverb of place (description of location)
– verb be + -ing form (continuous form)
– verb be + past participle (passive voice)
We will observe how “is,” “are,” “was,” and “were” are used in this video.
are + past participle
Neanderthals are often depicted as brutish cave men, but science shows that our early ancestors were actually quite advanced.
depicted = past participle of the verb “depict”
are + past participle = passive voice in the present context
are + noun phrase
Neanderthals, or homo neanderthalensis, are our closest relatives in the human family tree.
our closest relatives = plural noun phrase
are + noun phrase = description of something in the present context (present fact)
were + adjective
Their bodies were relatively short, with males averaging five feet, five inches and females five feet, one inch tall, and they were stocky with broad chests, bulky torsos, and muscular limbs.
short = adjective
were + adjective = description of something in the past context (past fact)
were + adjective
Also, their noses were large and had relatively high bridges.
large = adjective
were + adjective = description of something in the past context (past fact)
were + adjective
They were similar in size to modern humans’ brains and were often larger.
similar = adjective
were + adjective = description of something in the past context (past fact)
is + adjective
Culture is indicative of an intelligent species, and archeological evidence suggests that neanderthals had a relatively sophisticated culture.
indicative = adjective
is + adjective = description of something in the present context (present fact)
were + noun phrase
In fact, they were the first human species to make tools out of bone, not just stone.
the first human species = plural noun phrase
were + noun phrase = description of something in the past context (past fact)
are + past participle
Neanderthals are suspected to be the first humans to carry out the symbolic gesture of burying their dead and adorning grave sites with flowers.
suspected = past participle of the verb “suspect”
are + past participle = passive voice in the present context
was + past participle
The first neanderthal fossil specimen was discovered in Belgium in 1829 by Philippe-Charles Schmerling.
discovered = past participle of the verb “discover”
was + past participle = passive voice in the past context
wasn’t + past participle
However, it wasn’t officially classified as neanderthal until decades later.
classified = past participle of the verb “classify”
wasn’t + past participle = passive voice in the past context
was + past participle
The first fossil to be recognized as neandertahl and as an early human or genus homo fossil was found in 1856 by quarrymen in Germany.
found = past participle of the verb “find”
was + past participle = passive voice in the past context
was + past participle
The new species was named neanderthalensis after the area where the fossils were found, Neander Valley.
named = past participle of the verb “name”
was + past participle = passive voice in the past context
Common Expressions
apart from
Apart from adaptations that helped neanderthals survive a harsh, wintry habitat, the species also developed large brains.
The phrase “apart from” is a preposition, which means “excluding” or “except for.”
For example, “The room was empty apart from one man sitting beside the fire.”
in fact
In fact, they were the first human species to make tools out of bone, not just stone.
The phrase “in fact” can be used in a few different ways.
It can be used to:
– add emphasis to a statement.
For example, “She is, in fact, a very intelligent woman.”
– provide more detailed information about a statement.
For example, “The car was, in fact, stolen.”
– introduce a contrast or contradiction to a previous statement.
For example, “He said he was going to the store, but in fact, he went to the bar.”