Lecture 32 notes.docx

Introduction to Human Evolution Lecture 32 Neanderthals Discovered in the 1850s in Neander Valley, Germany Europe and SW Asia Neanderthals Typical “cave men” stereotype Very robust (stocky); Large noses and teeth, barrel-shaped ribcage; thick bones, powerfully muscled; shorter limbs than modern...

Introduction to Human Evolution Lecture 32 Neanderthals Discovered in the 1850s in Neander Valley, Germany Europe and SW Asia Neanderthals Typical “cave men” stereotype Very robust (stocky); Large noses and teeth, barrel-shaped ribcage; thick bones, powerfully muscled; shorter limbs than modern H. sapiens Very large brains (slightly larger than humans); the cranium is more rounded than in H. heidelbergensis Neanderthals Stocky body build – likely adaptation for living in Europe during the ice ages A lot of volume relative to the surface area of your body – proportional to how you lose heat; not a lot of surface area relative to your volume, you retain heat Large nasal cavity may have served to warm and humidify air before it reached the center of the body (lungs) – a mechanism for preventing massive heat loss Neanderthals Very large brow ridge Large brains (1400 – 1500 cc) No chin Occipital bun (protrusion of bone from the bottom of the skull) Mousterian Tool Tradition Prepared core, smaller and lighter than Acheulean, & made many varieties. Kebarra Cave Israel First species in the human fossil record to bury the dead (symbolism)