Neanderthals
Ice age Europeans
Neanderthals were an extinct species of human that lived in Europe and western Asia until about 40,000 years ago.
They coexisted and interbred with modern humans; most people of non-African descent carry some Neanderthal DNA.
The name, from a German valley where fossils were found, is used loosely—and often unfairly—for anyone perceived as brutish or dim-witted: My coworkers are complete Neanderthals.
Human evolutionary family members
- extinctNo longer existing
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
- EuropeSmallest inhabited continent
robust · heavy-browed · stocky · cold-adapted · hunting · megafauna · stone tools · caves
Mating between distinct populations
- DNAHereditary code molecule
- genomeOrganism's total hereditary material
- hybridizationMixing distinct genetic lines
- admixtureAdded minor component
Denisovans · Homo sapiens · ancestry · inheritance · chromosomes · alleles · sequencing · ancient DNA
Preserved ancient organism traces
- bonesRigid internal support structure
- skullsHead bones
- excavationAct of unearthing
- specimensRepresentative items for examination
Gibraltar · sites · reconstruction · morphology · dating · stratigraphy · sediments · archaeology
Placing deceased underground
- ochreIron-rich earth pigment
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- artHuman creative expression
- jewelryOrnamental personal accessories
feathers · eagle talons · pigment · ritual · cave paintings · ornaments · shell beads · scrapers
Prehistoric cave-dwelling human
- primitiveIn earliest form
- brutishCruel and uncivilized
- dumbWitless or mute
- insultOffensive remark or action
knuckle-dragger · backward · uncouth · lout · thug · simpleton · troglodyte · oafish
Act of going missing
- replacementWhat takes another's place
- competitionStruggle for supremacy
- climatePrevailing atmospheric conditions
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
absorption · decline · demise · population · bottleneck · inbreeding · isolation · refugia
hominins
Human evolutionary family members
- extinctNo longer existing
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
Europe · robust · heavy-browed · stocky · cold-adapted · hunting · megafauna · stone tools · caves · shelter
interbreeding
Mating between distinct populations
- DNAHereditary code molecule
- genomeOrganism's total hereditary material
- hybridizationMixing distinct genetic lines
admixture · Denisovans · Homo sapiens · ancestry · inheritance · chromosomes · alleles · sequencing · ancient DNA · heritage
fossils
Preserved ancient organism traces
- bonesRigid internal support structure
- skullsHead bones
- excavationAct of unearthing
specimens · Gibraltar · sites · reconstruction · morphology · dating · stratigraphy · sediments · archaeology · caves
burial
Placing deceased underground
- ochreIron-rich earth pigment
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- artHuman creative expression
jewelry · feathers · eagle talons · pigment · ritual · cave paintings · ornaments · shell beads · scrapers · flowers
caveman
Prehistoric cave-dwelling human
insult · knuckle-dragger · backward · uncouth · lout · thug · simpleton · troglodyte · oafish · crude
disappearance
Act of going missing
- replacementWhat takes another's place
- competitionStruggle for supremacy
- climatePrevailing atmospheric conditions
assimilation · absorption · decline · demise · population · bottleneck · inbreeding · isolation · refugia · Iberia
- humanityhuman, human being, humans, people, mankind
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- discoveriesbreakthrough, scientific discovery, finding, uncovering, detection
- Extinct Animalsdinosaur, dinosaurs, tyrannosaurus, dodo, mammoth
- prehistoric humanscaveman, cave dwellers, cave dweller, Cro-Magnon, Cro-Magnons
- Prehistoric Timesprehistory, ancient times, Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age
NeanderthalsHomo sapiens
Scientific name for humans
modern humans · survivors · Cro-Magnons · Homo erectus · Denisovans
Neanderthalssophisticates
Worldly, cultured individuals
intellectuals · aesthetes · Renaissance men · polymaths · cognoscenti
- Neanderthal DNAGenetic material from extinct relatives