No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Genomes offer rare glimpse of Neanderthal family groups
Abstract
Low genetic diversity in males from two Siberian caves suggests females moved to their mates' families.
... At El Sidrón, intergroup movements, such as they were, may have been constrained to a patrilocal pattern in which related males stayed in the group and females moved at maturity (Lalueza-Fox et al. 2011;. Other genetic evidence from the Altai Mountains in Siberia also supports the notion of females moving between groups whilst males stayed within their local group (Gibbons 2021). This would suggest that it was females who were creating patterns of long-distance transport, and maintaining cultural contacts. ...
In Hidden Depths, Professor Penny Spikins explores how our emotional connections have shaped human ancestry. Focusing on three key transitions in human origins, Professor Spikins explains how the emotional capacities of our early ancestors evolved in response to ecological changes, much like similar changes in other social mammals. For each transition, dedicated chapters examine evolutionary pressures, responses in changes in human emotional capacities and the archaeological evidence for human social behaviours. Starting from our earliest origins, in Part One, Professor Spikins explores how after two million years ago, movement of human ancestors into a new ecological niche drove new types of collaboration, including care for vulnerable members of the group. Emotional adaptations lead to cognitive changes, as new connections based on compassion, generosity, trust and inclusion also changed our relationship to material things. Part Two explores a later key transition in human emotional capacities occurring after 300,000 years ago. At this time changes in social tolerance allowed ancestors of our own species to further reach out beyond their local group and care about distant allies, making human communities resilient to environmental changes. An increasingly close relationship to animals, and even to cherished possessions, appeared at this time, and can be explained through new human vulnerabilities and ways of seeking comfort and belonging. Lastly, Part Three focuses on the contrasts in emotional dispositions arising between ourselves and our close cousins, the Neanderthals. Neanderthals are revealed as equally caring yet emotionally different humans, who might, if things had been different, have been in our place today. This new narrative breaks away from traditional views of human evolution as exceptional or as a linear progression towards a more perfect form. Instead, our evolutionary history is situated within similar processes occurring in other mammals, and explained as one in which emotions, rather than ‘intellect’, were key to our evolutionary journey. Moreover, changes in emotional capacities and dispositions are seen as part of differing pathways each bringing strengths, weaknesses and compromises. These hidden depths provide an explanation for many of the emotional sensitivities and vulnerabilities which continue to influence our world today.
... At El Sidrón, intergroup movements, such as they were, may have been constrained to a patrilocal pattern in which related males stayed in the group and females moved at maturity (Lalueza-Fox et al. 2011;Ríos et al. 2019). Other genetic evidence from the Altai Mountains in Siberia also supports the notion of females moving between groups whilst males stayed within their local group (Gibbons 2021). This would suggest that it was females who were creating patterns of long-distance transport, and maintaining cultural contacts. ...
In Hidden Depths, Professor Penny Spikins explores how our emotional connections have shaped human ancestry. Focusing on three key transitions in human origins, Professor Spikins explains how the emotional capacities of our early ancestors evolved in response to ecological changes, much like similar changes in other social mammals. For each transition, dedicated chapters examine evolutionary pressures, responses in changes in human emotional capacities and the archaeological evidence for human social behaviours. Starting from our earliest origins, in Part One, Professor Spikins explores how after two million years ago, movement of human ancestors into a new ecological niche drove new types of collaboration, including care for vulnerable members of the group. Emotional adaptations lead to cognitive changes, as new connections based on compassion, generosity, trust and inclusion also changed our relationship to material things. Part Two explores a later key transition in human emotional capacities occurring after 300,000 years ago. At this time changes in social tolerance allowed ancestors of our own species to further reach out beyond their local group and care about distant allies, making human communities resilient to environmental changes. An increasingly close relationship to animals, and even to cherished possessions, appeared at this time, and can be explained through new human vulnerabilities and ways of seeking comfort and belonging. Lastly, Part Three focuses on the contrasts in emotional dispositions arising between ourselves and our close cousins, the Neanderthals. Neanderthals are revealed as equally caring yet emotionally different humans, who might, if things had been different, have been in our place today. This new narrative breaks away from traditional views of human evolution as exceptional or as a linear progression towards a more perfect form. Instead, our evolutionary history is situated within similar processes occurring in other mammals, and explained as one in which emotions, rather than ‘intellect’, were key to our evolutionary journey. Moreover, changes in emotional capacities and dispositions are seen as part of differing pathways each bringing strengths, weaknesses and compromises. These hidden depths provide an explanation for many of the emotional sensitivities and vulnerabilities which continue to influence our world today.
The reasons for the mysterious disappearance of Neanderthals about 40 thousand years ago, which occurred shortly after the appearance on their territory of people of the modern anatomical type - Cro-Magnons, occupy the minds of many generations of paleoanthropologists. The extinction of the Neanderthals lasted for 2-5 thousand years, depending on the habitat, which can be considered a fairly fast process, since before that they successfully lived in Western Europe for about 300 thousand years in the absence of any competition from other hominins. Several factors contributed to the extinction of the Neanderthals. The main one was demographic, which led to a sharp decline in the population, the cause of which was the superiority of the Cro-Magnons in intelligence and, possibly, their possession of articulate speech, which contributed to better organization in obtaining food. In addition, the Neanderthals' massive physique required more food, with Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons competing for the same resources and territories. It can be assumed that after the appearance of the Cro-Magnons, the Neanderthals lived from hand to mouth, which reduced their birth rate and increased mortality, and at a younger age compared to the Cro-Magnons. Climatic changes (Ice Age) affected, most likely, to a small extent, since the Neanderthals died out in the southern territories of their residence, where a sharp cooling did not occur. As one of the possible reasons for the extinction of the Neanderthals, one cannot exclude infections brought by the Cro-Magnons from Africa, to which the first were unstable. The article also discusses the social aspect: the predecessors of the Neanderthals were probably the first wave of people from Africa who came to the territory of present-day Western Europe about 600 thousand years ago; the second wave can be considered the Cro-Magnons, who followed the same path from Africa through the Near and Middle East. In the coming third millennium of the new era, Western Europe is already facing the third wave of migrants - Afrasians, following almost the same path. It can be assumed that due to the better birth rate among the latter and a number of other circumstances, in a few generations the autochthonous population of Europe will be replaced by newcomers, including through assimilation.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.