{"id":7318,"date":"2021-06-22T11:54:33","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T15:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/?page_id=7318"},"modified":"2024-06-12T13:13:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T17:13:16","slug":"did-neanderthals-evolve-to-live-in-cold-climates","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/exhibits\/virtual\/human-evolution\/adaptation\/did-neanderthals-evolve-to-live-in-cold-climates\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Neanderthals Evolve to Live in Cold Climates?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<p><span>Neanderthals (<\/span><i><span>Homo neanderthalensis<\/span><\/i><span>) are now extinct, but they existed in Eurasia together with modern humans (<\/span><i><span>Homo sapiens<\/span><\/i><span>) until about 40,000 years ago. The differences between Neanderthal and modern human skeletons have caused many researchers to try to understand the reasons for the differences. One explanation for their unique look is a series of adaptations to the cold climate of Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene. Their large nose opening could have helped them take in and warm up more air. Their short limbs likely helped them maintain their body heat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7434 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/prod.wp.cdn.aws.wfu.edu\/sites\/88\/2021\/06\/Cold-Climate-sm.png\" alt=\"Neanderthal vs modern human\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prod.wp.cdn.aws.wfu.edu\/sites\/88\/2021\/06\/Cold-Climate-sm.png 500w, https:\/\/prod.wp.cdn.aws.wfu.edu\/sites\/88\/2021\/06\/Cold-Climate-sm-225x300.png 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Skeletal differences are the result of adaptations since Neanderthals\u2019 and humans\u2019 last common ancestor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>Recent studies have considered other reasons for the odd Neanderthal body. The robust bones could be a result of increased muscularity, which is not explained by a cold climate. Higher activity levels in the Neanderthal lifestyle could explain the trend toward muscularity. Another possible explanation for skeletal differences is a difference in testosterone and growth hormone levels. Ultimately, paleoanthropologists are still searching for the answer. Neanderthals may have emerged as hardy survivors of an Ice Age landscape, but the story their fossils tell might be a bit more complicated than that.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div>\n    <div class=\"sketchfab-embed-wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Animated 3d scan of a neanderthal boy ?ashik?ash\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen=\"true\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"fullscreen; autoplay; vr\" xr-spatial-tracking execution-while-out-of-viewport execution-while-not-rendered web-share width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/sketchfab.com\/models\/b7f5751159da4245896c30fd0d142a59\/embed\"> <\/iframe> <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<p><em>Robust Neanderthal bones could mean they were more muscular than modern humans\u2014even as children!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By Elizabeth Panacciulli (\u201921)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-3 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center has-mimic-h-5-font-size wp-block-heading\">Investigate other adaptation questions<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-4 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-buttons\">\n        \n<div class=\"wp-block-button\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/exhibits\/virtual\/human-evolution\/adaptation\/is-walking-upright-an-adaptation-to-beat-the-heat\/\" class=\"wp-block-button__link\">\n        Is Walking Upright an Adaptation to Beat the Heat?    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-buttons\">\n        \n<div class=\"wp-block-button\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/exhibits\/virtual\/human-evolution\/adaptation\/did-a-high-quality-diet-lead-to-bigger-brains\/\" class=\"wp-block-button__link\">\n        Did a High-Quality Diet Lead to Bigger Brains?    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-buttons\">\n        \n<div class=\"wp-block-button\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/exhibits\/virtual\/human-evolution\/\" class=\"wp-block-button__link\">\n        Human Evolution Exhibit Home    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are now extinct, but they existed in Eurasia together with modern humans (Homo sapiens) until about 40,000 years ago. The differences between Neanderthal and modern human skeletons have caused many researchers to try to understand the reasons for the differences. One explanation [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":0,"parent":7298,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"overlay_title":false,"hide_featured_image_post":false,"wfu_hide_page_title":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7318","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Did Neanderthals Evolve to Live in Cold Climates? - Timothy S. Y. 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