I thought that the dvd was very interesting. Certainly adds much food for thought over our understanding of Neanderthals of a century ago. So from where have we come and where are we now?
A century ago it was pretty much accepted as fact that the Neanderthal “race” was a separate species from Homo sapiens. The latest DNA data indicates that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred. And indications are that this was not only not a rare occurrence, but that this interbreeding resulted in fertile offspring. In other words, by the accepted definition of “species”, Neanderthals are not a separate species from Homo sapiens at all! I guess this makes them, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis. And by extension, we become Homo sapiens sapiens.
Two more things in the dvd I found particularly interesting. One, that Neanderthals utilized much more complicated technologies than we formerly realized. It had been assumed that the “glue” used to help secure flint spear points to the thrusting shaft was a simple naturally occurring resin, such as pine sap. Not the case! It turns out that it is a man made glue “distilled” by carefully heating birch bark at precisely 400°F for several hours in a heating structure very similar to a charcoal making kiln.
Additionally, the napping technology for forming the flint flakes used for the spears is also more complex than formerly thought and takes much time to master.
This brings us to the second very interesting revelation made possible from DNA analysis. That there is a very specific gene that is closely associated with speech and language. And Neanderthals possessed this gene! And this makes perfect sense when viewed in light of the complicated technologies they were using because complicated skill sets almost have to be passed on through speech, there being no other realistic way to teach these skills from generation to generation. So, now we know that Neanderthals almost certainly possessed communications skills sophisticated enough to allow them to teach each other abstract processes; such as distillation of synthetic glue.
Cool stuff!
Now I want to know more!
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