Neanderthals Research Articles

First fossil record of cave lion (Panthera (Leo) spelaea intermedia) from alluvial deposits of the Po River in northern Italy

A perfectly preserved left felid hemimandible has been found in fluvial deposits of the Po River near Cremona (Northern Italy). The fossil, found in allochthonous position within an alluvial bar, corresponding in morphology and size at the hemimandible of modern and fossil lions. The bone, in excellent conditions, is characterized by the presence of all the teeth and shows a slight erosion of the condyle and angular process indicating a very limited transport (rafting). Based on the comparison with a large dataset of morphometric measurements of cave lion and fossil leopard hemimandibles, the studied fossil is classified as a subadult female of the chronosubspecies Panthera spelaea intermedia.The mammalian fossil record from Po River consists predominantly of large herbivores Palaeoloxodon antiquus, Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis, Bison priscus, Megaloceros giganteus, Mammuthus primigenius, Alces alces, Cervus elaphus, some carnivores like Panthera cf. pardus, Crocuta crocuta, Ursus arctos, Canis lupus, Vulpes vulpes and primates such as Homo neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. The species composition indicates a mixing of different faunal assemblages from interglacial and glacial periods of the Late Pleistocene.

Genomic benchmarking studies reveal variations of the polyubiquitination domain of the PSD95 protein in Homo neanderthalensis and other primates of the Hominidae family: Possible implications in cognitive functions?

Modern humans' unique cognitive abilities regarding Neanderthals and other primate's lineages are frequently attributed to the differences in brain size development and evolution. However, recent studies have established the critical role of genomic and genetic benchmarking in analyzing the cognitive evolution between modern humans and primates, focused mainly on searching for involved genes in neurogenesis. PSD95 protein (named PSD95p) has a key role in modulating synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory skills. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the possible variations of the PSD95 gene between modern humans, Neanderthals, and other hominid primate species using bioinformatics tools. The results showed 14 polymorphisms compared with the contemporary human PSD95 gene, of which 13 were silent mutations, and only one was a non-silent mutation at the nucleotide position 281. Despite polymorphisms found at the nucleotide sequences, the PSD95p of humans and chimpanzees are 100% identical. Likewise, the gorilla and orangutan PSD95p are 100% identical, although a 103-amino acid deletion characterizes them at the N-terminal end (1-103), suggesting that it behaves like a non-functional protein. Interestingly, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) found at position 281 in the Neanderthal PSD95 gene leads to a change of the E94 to valine V94 in the polyubiquitination domain (PEST) and variation in the three-dimensional structure of PSD95 protein. We prompt that this structural change in the PEST domain could induce a loss of PSD95p function and, therefore, an alteration in synaptic plasticity forms such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). These findings open a possible hypothesis supporting the idea that humans' cognitive evolution after separating our last common ancestor with Neanderthals lineage could have been accompanied by discrete changes in the PSD95p polyubiquitination domain.

3D enamel profilometry reveals faster growth but similar stress severity in Neanderthal versus Homo sapiens teeth

Early life stress disrupts growth and creates horizontal grooves on the tooth surface in humans and other mammals, yet there is no consensus for their quantitative analysis. Linear defects are considered to be nonspecific stress indicators, but evidence suggests that intermittent, severe stressors create deeper defects than chronic, low-level stressors. However, species-specific growth patterns also influence defect morphology, with faster-growing teeth having shallower defects at the population level. Here we describe a method to measure the depth of linear enamel defects and normal growth increments (i.e., perikymata) from high-resolution 3D topographies using confocal profilometry and apply it to a diverse sample of Homo neanderthalensis and H. sapiens anterior teeth. Debate surrounds whether Neanderthals exhibited modern human-like growth patterns in their teeth and other systems, with some researchers suggesting that they experienced more severe childhood stress. Our results suggest that Neanderthals have shallower features than H. sapiens from the Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic, and medieval eras, mirroring the faster growth rates in Neanderthal anterior teeth. However, when defect depth is scaled by perikymata depth to assess their severity, Neolithic humans have less severe defects, while Neanderthals and the other H. sapiens groups show evidence of more severe early life growth disruptions.

Mes ancêtres les Gauloises: une autobiographie de la France par Élise Thiébaut

Reviewed by: Mes ancêtres les Gauloises: une autobiographie de la France par Élise Thiébaut Sharon L. Fairchild Thiébaut, Élise. Mes ancêtres les Gauloises: une autobiographie de la France. Découverte, 2019. ISBN 978-2-348-03768-9. Pp. 267. Compelled by the claims of contemporary alarmists about the disappearance of the white race, the threat to national identity, and other extremist right-wing positions, Thiébaut examines her own "pure" French origins through the prism of the privileges from which she has benefited, due to this inheritance. Her intention is to explore the national narrative in order to reveal the unspoken or unacknowledged truths about France through an examination of her origins and her family's experiences, focusing on the women. Thiébaut's narrative begins with her DNA test, revealing her most distant origins, and ends with discoveries about her more recent relatives resulting from a search into family photo albums, letters, and history. These family members come alive through period photos displayed on the book cover, which are complemented by short biographies found at the end of the book. The snapshots and biographies not only help the reader follow the narrative, but also lend a personal tenor to a text that ranges over a broad field of subjects from the science of genetics and prehistory to current politics and society in a somewhat meandering style. Thiébaut's experience of tracing her ancestry through her DNA leads her to discuss myriad issues surrounding DNA—its discovery, the science of its structure, the reasons people decide to get a DNA test. She delves into how this information is used from the banal to medical, political (white supremacy, anti-Semitism), and commercial purposes. Her curiosity about how she might be descended from Neanderthal man results in several passages on the discovery of prehistoric man and other prehistoric subjects, such as the discovery of when gene markers for whiteness appeared on the western European continent. She shows how the transition to the Neolithic period, a more patriarchal society, impacted women's strength and status. After these revelations about her earliest origins, Thiébaut's work focuses on ways in which her ancestors' experiences and actions played into certain French cultural realities. For example, her investigation leads her, unexpectedly, to understand the development of the myth of [End Page 259] French seduction. The discovery that her great-grandmother had been a "courtisane" in the mid-nineteenth century launches Thiébaut into the issues of the feminine condition, prostitution, the status of illegitimate children, and the stigma of unmarried mothers. Examples of the latter situation are found on both sides of her family tree. Thiébaut maintains the reader's interest throughout by including stories of her great-grandmothers and grandmothers connecting the story of her personal inheritance to several contemporary issues. Later chapters become more engaging as the links to specific family members' lives take more precedence. Slave trade in Marseille, where her family roots are deep, colonialism, the Catholic religion and missionary work, the Second World War, and the Algerian war are subjects that she treats as she learns of her relatives' experiences with them. Thiébaut's sense of humor and personal history complement this dense text that incorporates many fields. Sharon L. Fairchild Texas Christian University, emerita Copyright © 2021 American Association of Teachers of French

Phylogenomic study and classification of mitochondrial DNA through virtual genomic fingerprints

In the present study, we evaluated the ability of the Virtual Analysis Method for Phylogenomic fingerprint Estimation (VAMPhyRE) toolkit to classify human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups. In total, 357 random mtDNA sequences were obtained from different haplogroups, based on the classification of PhyloTree. Additionally, we included a control group of five sequences (Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, Yoruba15, and the revised Cambridge reference sequence). VAMPhyRE employs a virtual hybridization technique, using probes that specifically bind to their complementary sequences in the genome. We used 65,536 probes of 8 nucleotides to identify potential sites where hybridization occurs between the mtDNA and the specific probe, forming different heteroduplexes and thus, creating a unique and specific genomic fingerprint for each sequence. Genomic fingerprints were compared, and a table of distances was calculated to obtain a mitochondrial phylogenomic tree with the macrohaplogroups, L, N, M, and R, and their corresponding haplogroups, according to universal nomenclature. The results obtained suggest an accuracy of 97.25% for the distribution of the 357 mtDNA sequences in the four macrohaplogroups and their corresponding haplogroups when compared with other mtDNA classification tools that require reference sequences and do not offer an analysis based on an evolutionary approach. These data are available online at http://biomedbiotec.encb.ipn.mx/VAMPhyRE/.

The implications of thumb movements for Neanderthal and modern human manipulation

Much research has debated the technological abilities of Neanderthals relative to those of early modern humans, with a particular focus on subtle differences in thumb morphology and how this may reflect differences in manipulative behaviors in these two species. Here, we provide a novel perspective on this debate through a 3D geometric morphometric analysis of shape covariation between the trapezial and proximal first metacarpal articular surfaces of Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) in comparison to early and recent humans (Homo sapiens). Results show a distinct pattern of shape covariation in Neanderthals, consistent with more extended and adducted thumb postures that may reflect habitual use of grips commonly used for hafted tools. Both Neanderthals and recent humans demonstrate high intraspecific variation in shape covariation. This intraspecific variation is likely the result of genetic and/or developmental differences, but may also reflect, in part, differing functional requirements imposed by the use of varied tool-kits. These results underscore the importance of holistic joint shape analysis for understanding the functional capabilities and evolution of the modern human thumb.

Characterized by Darkness: Reconsidering the Origins of the Brutish Neanderthal.

The extinct human relatives known as Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) have long been described as brutish and dumb. This conception is often traced to paleontologist Marcellin Boule (1861-1942), who published a detailed analysis on a Neanderthal skeleton in the early twentieth century. The conventional historical narrative claims that Boule made an error in his analysis, causing the Neanderthals to be considered brutish. This essay challenges the narrative of "Boule's error," arguing instead that the brutish Neanderthal concept originated much earlier in the history of Neanderthal research and was, in fact, an invention of the earliest analyses of the first specimen recognized as a Neanderthal in the mid-nineteenth century. I argue that temporally relocating this conception of Neanderthals allows for a better understanding of the interconnected nature of the study of fossil humans and the science of living human races during the nineteenth century. This new view of the brutish Neanderthal sheds light on the earliest phases of the science that became paleoanthropology, while examining the racial, cultural, and political attitudes about race and extinction that accompanied the science at that time. By inspecting the ways in which the Neanderthals' image was a product of a particular time and place, we gain a perspective that provides a new basis for thinking about the conceptions of hominin fossil species.

Taxonomic differences in deciduous lower first molar crown outlines of Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis

Recent studies have demonstrated that the outline shapes of deciduous upper and lower second molars and the deciduous upper first molar are useful for diagnosing hominin taxa—especially Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. Building on these studies, we use geometric morphometric methods to assess the taxonomic significance of the crown outline of the lower first deciduous molar (dm1). We test whether the crown shape of the dm1 distinguishes H. neanderthalensis from H. sapiens and explore whether dm1 crown shape can be used to accurately assign individuals to taxa. Our fossil sample includes 3 early H. sapiens, 7 Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens, and 13 H. neanderthalensis individuals. Our recent human sample includes 103 individuals from Africa, Australia, Europe, South America, and South Asia. Our results indicate that H. neanderthalensis dm1s cluster fairly tightly and separate well from those of Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens. However, we also found that the range of shapes in the recent human sample completely overlaps the ranges of all fossil samples. Consequently, results of the quadratic discriminant analysis based on the first 8 principal components (PCs) representing more than 90% of the variation were mixed. Lower dm1s were correctly classified in 87.3% of the individuals; the combined H. sapiens sample had greater success (90.2%) in assigning individuals than did the H. neanderthalensis sample (61.5%). When the analysis was run removing the highly variable recent human sample, accuracy increased to 84.6% for H. neanderthalensis, and 57.1% of Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens were classified correctly by using the first 4 PCs (70.3%). We conclude that caution is warranted when assigning isolated dm1 crowns to taxa; while an assignment to H. neanderthalensis has a high probability of being correct, assignment to Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens is less certain.

Species distribution models advance our knowledge of the Neanderthals\u2019 paleoecology on the Iranian Plateau

Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) were distributed across a vast region from Europe to western and Central Asia. The Neanderthals’ paleoecology and distribution has been extensively studied in Europe where the species originated. However, very little is known about their paleoecology in south-western Asia. Here, we employed species distribution modelling and 45 Middle Palaeolithic (c. 200,000–40,000 years BCE) sites location associated with fossil and/or lithic artefacts made by the Neanderthals to examine the expansion of the Neanderthals on the Iranian Plateau in south-western Asia. We estimated the niche overlap between Neanderthals and wild goat, wild sheep and Persian gazelle by modelling their past distribution using 200, 143 and 110 occurrence records respectively. The results show that Neanderthals had highest niche overlap with wild goat in the study area. This analysis revealed that the most suitable Neanderthals’ habitats in south-western Asia were located in the Zagros Mountains stretches from north-western and western and some isolated patches in the central parts of the Iranian Plateau. The annual precipitation and maximum temperature of the warmest month were the most important predictor of the species’ distribution. This finding shows that the southern edge of the Neanderthals distribution was limited by warm summer. Our results provide important information for future field investigations and excavations in the area.

Finite element analysis of the proximal phalanx of the thumb in Hominoidea during simulated stone tool use

Finite element analysis was applied to analyze six individuals from different primate species (Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758, Homo neanderthalensis King, 1864, Pan troglodytes Blumenbach, 1779, Gorilla gorilla Savage, 1847, Pongo pygmaeus Linnaeus, 1760 and Hylobates lar Linnaeus, 1771) to identify stress distribution patterns on the pollical proximal phalanx during simulated hammerstone use. We expected the stress to be better distributed in our species than in other hominids based on the idea that, unlike apes, the human hand is adapted to tool-related behaviors. Our results indicate that the human phalanx unevenly distributes stresses and is one of the most fragile of all, especially when a small hammerstone is simulated. Tool orientation relative to the phalanx did not have a substantial effect on average stress or distribution. We conclude that great apes can resist loads exerted during this activity more efficiently than humans and that there were probably other evolutionary factors acting on this bone in our species.

Finite element analysis of the proximal phalanx of the thumb in Hominoidea during simulated stone tool use

Finite element analysis was applied to analyze six individuals from different primate species (Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758, Homo neanderthalensis King, 1864, Pan troglodytes Blumenbach, 1779, Gorilla gorilla Savage, 1847, Pongo pygmaeus Linnaeus, 1760 and Hylobates lar Linnaeus, 1771) to identify stress distribution patterns on the pollical proximal phalanx during simulated hammerstone use. We expected the stress to be better distributed in our species than in other hominids based on the idea that, unlike apes, the human hand is adapted to tool-related behaviors. Our results indicate that the human phalanx unevenly distributes stresses and is one of the most fragile of all, especially when a small hammerstone is simulated. Tool orientation relative to the phalanx did not have a substantial effect on average stress or distribution. We conclude that great apes can resist loads exerted during this activity more efficiently than humans and that there were probably other evolutionary factors acting on this bone in our species.

Neanderthals as familiar strangers and the human spark: How the \u2018golden years\u2019 of Neanderthal research reopen the question of human uniqueness

During the past decades, our image of Homo neanderthalensis has changed dramatically. Initially, Neanderthals were seen as primitive brutes. Increasingly, however, Neanderthals are regarded as basically human. New discoveries and technologies have led to an avalanche of data, and as a result of that it becomes increasingly difficult to pinpoint what the difference between modern humans and Neanderthals really is. And yet, the persistent quest for a minimal difference which separates them from us is still noticeable in Neanderthal research. Neanderthal discourse is a vantage point from which the logic of ‘us’ versus ‘other’ is critically reconsidered. Studying contemporary academic literature and science autobiographies from an oblique perspective, focusing not on Neanderthals as objects, but on the dynamics of interaction between Neanderthal researchers and their finds, basic convictions at work in this type of research are retrieved. What is at issue is not the actual distinction between modern humans and Neanderthals (which is continuously being redefined), but rather the dualistic construction of human and nonhuman. Neanderthal understanding is affected by the desire to safeguard human uniqueness. The overall trend is to identify the human mark or spark, which defines us as favoured ‘winners’. The paradoxes emerging in contemporary Neanderthal discourse are symptomatic of the fact that a dualistic style of thinking is no longer tenable.

Homo neanderthalensis and the evolutionary origins of ritual in Homo sapiens.

There is a large, if disparate, body of archaeological literature discussing specific instantiations of symbolic material culture and the possibility of ritual practices in Neanderthal populations. Despite this attention, however, no single synthesis exists that draws upon cognitive, psychological and cultural evolutionary theories of ritual. Here, we review the evidence for ritual-practice among now-extinct Homo neanderthalensis, as well as the necessary cognitive pre-conditions for such behaviour, in order to explore the evolution of ritual in Homo sapiens. We suggest that the currently available archaeological evidence indicates that Neanderthals may have used 'ritualization' to increase the successful transmission of technical knowledge across generations-providing an explanation for the technological stability of the Middle Palaeolithic and attesting to a survival strategy differing from near-contemporary H. sapiens. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.

Infant and Child Diets of Hunter-Fisher-Gatherer Societies: A Systematic Review

Abstract Objectives To identify key changes in child diets during the transition to agriculture by synthesizing evidence on 1) infant and child hunter-fisher-gatherer diets to identify common elements of an evolutionary child diet and 2) early agricultural groups. Methods We searched five databases (Academic Search Complete via EBSCO, Anthropology Plus via EBSCO, Medline via PubMed, Scopus, and SocIndex with Full Text via EBSCO). Childhood was defined as children 10 years or younger. Early agriculture was defined as cultivation activities during the Neolithic or regional Neolithic equivalent era (e.g., Woodland Period), to account for the variation in the transition to agriculture. Studies examining hominins from the following species were eligible: Homo erectus/Homo ergaster, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo heidelbergensis, and Homo sapiens. We included peer-reviewed papers of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods on infant and childhood diets for groups whose primary subsistence method was hunting, fishing, or gathering or groups who were transitioning to early agriculture. Title and abstract reviews were conducted in Rayyan QCRI by two blinded authors. Discrepancies were reviewed by a third author. Full text review was also blinded. We scored studies with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (2018), and we synthesized evidence using a narrative synthesis with sub-group analysis as appropriate. Results The publications covered a range of subsistence groups and study types (e.g., ethnography, isotopic analysis). Groups from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America were represented, and time periods ranged from the Mesolithic Era to present. Our analysis indicated a significant shift in child diet accompanying the shift to agriculture. Hunter-gatherer-fisher children had more varied diets with a larger proportion of animal-source foods during and after the complementary feeding period compared to early agricultural groups. Conclusions Early agricultural diets, similar to current child dietary patterns, have diverged from the diets of hunter-fisher-gatherer children in important ways. These differences could offer insight into child feeding guidelines today. Funding Sources This project was internally funded by the E3 Nutrition Lab at Washington University in St. Louis.

Sexual dimorphism of the enamel and dentine dimensions of the permanent canines of the Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos (Burgos, Spain)

Sexual dimorphism is an important component of the total variation seen in populations and plays a key role in taxonomic debates. In this study, microtomographic (microcomputed tomography) techniques were applied to a sample of hominin teeth from the Sima de los Huesos site (Spain). Dental tissue proportions of the permanent canines were assessed to characterize the pattern and degree of sexual dimorphism within this population. In addition, the possible similarities and differences with the Homo neanderthalensis remains from Krapina (Croatia) and with a recent modern human sample were evaluated. A combination of classical statistical approaches with more novel techniques allowed us not only to ratify the sex allocation of the individuals previously assigned in the literature but also to estimate the sex of the youngest individuals, which were not assessed in previous studies. Likewise, the sexes of certain extensively worn canines and isolated pieces were estimated. As a result, the sex ratio observed in our dental sample from the Sima de los Huesos population is 5:9 (Nm:Nf). In general terms, both Sima de los Huesos and Krapina dental samples have a degree of sexual dimorphism in their permanent canine tissue proportions that does not surpass that of modern humans. The marked dimorphic root volume of Sima de los Huesos mandibular canines is the exception, which surpasses the modern human mean, although it falls within the 95% confidence interval. Therefore, our results do not support that dental tissue proportions of the European Middle Pleistocene populations were more dimorphic than in modern humans. However, the differences in canine tissue proportions are great enough to allow sex estimation with a high degree of confidence.

Quantifying the potential causes of Neanderthal extinction: Abrupt climate change versus competition and interbreeding

Anatomically Modern Humans are the sole survivor of a group of hominins that inhabited our planet during the last ice age and that included, among others, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo denisova, and Homo erectus. Whether previous hominin extinctions were triggered by external factors, such as abrupt climate change, volcanic eruptions or whether competition and interbreeding played major roles in their demise still remains unresolved. Here I present a spatially resolved numerical hominin dispersal model (HDM) with empirically constrained key parameters that simulates the migration and interaction of Anatomically Modern Humans and Neanderthals in the rapidly varying climatic environment of the last ice age. The model simulations document that rapid temperature and vegetation changes associated with Dansgaard-Oeschger events were not major drivers of global Neanderthal extinction between 50 and 35 thousand years ago, but played important roles regionally, in particular over northern Europe. According to a series of parameter sensitivity experiments conducted with the HDM, a realistic extinction of the Neanderthal population can only be simulated when Homo sapiens is chosen to be considerably more effective in exploiting scarce glacial food resources as compared to Neanderthals.

The Middle Pleistocene hominin mandible from Payre (Ardèche, France)

Although Neandertals are the best-known fossil hominins, the tempo and evolutionary processes in their lineage are strongly debated. This is in part due to the scarcity of the fossil record, in particular before the marine isotopic stage (MIS) 5. In 2010, a partial hominin mandible was discovered at the Middle Paleolithic site of Payre (France) in a layer that is dated to the end of MIS 8/beginning of MIS 7, a time period for which very few fossils are known in Europe. The Payre 15 mandible retains the complete symphyseal region and right lateral corpus with heavily worn P4, M1, and M2 in situ. Taphonomic modifications in the form of three notches suggest that this individual was chewed by a carnivore. We provide here the first detailed description of this specimen and a comparative analysis that includes morphological features, linear mandibular dimensions, an elliptic Fourier analysis of the symphysis, and a morphometric analysis of the M1 roots (based on segmented CT scan data). Our comparative sample encompasses European Middle and Upper Pleistocene specimens attributed to Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis, Upper Pleistocene Homo sapiens, and Holocene Homo sapiens. The Payre 15 mandible shows a combination of primitive and Neandertal-like features, with a receding symphyseal profile without any element of the mentum osseum, a posterior location of the mental foramen and lateral prominence. Its mandibular body is tall and thick anteriorly. Payre 15 has mesotaurodont M1 roots and a three-rooted M2. By its dimensions and combination of features, Payre 15 aligns better with Middle Pleistocene European hominins than with MIS 6–3 Neandertals. Noteworthy, it falls well within the range of variation of the Sima de los Huesos sample. Our results underscore that the total pattern of Neandertal-derived morphology was not achieved at the beginning of the MIS 7 and suggest a low level of mandibular diachronic changes for the period MIS 11–7.

Neanderthals ate a fishy diet

Neanderthals ate a fishy diet

Dating the skull from Broken Hill, Zambia, and its position in human evolution.

The cranium from Broken Hill (Kabwe) was recovered from cave deposits in 1921, during metal ore mining in what is now Zambia1. It is one of the best-preserved skulls of a fossil hominin, and was initially designated as the type specimen of Homo rhodesiensis, but recently it has often been included in the taxon Homo heidelbergensis2-4. However, the original site has since been completely quarried away, and-although the cranium is often estimated to be around 500thousand years old5-7-its unsystematic recovery impedes its accurate dating and placement in human evolution. Here we carried out analyses directly on the skull and found a best age estimate of 299±25thousand years (mean±2σ). The result suggests that later Middle Pleistocene Africa contained multiple contemporaneous hominin lineages (that is, Homo sapiens8,9, H. heidelbergensis/H. rhodesiensis and Homo naledi10,11), similar to Eurasia, where Homo neanderthalensis, the Denisovans, Homo floresiensis,Homo luzonensisand perhaps also Homo heidelbergensis and Homo erectus12 were found contemporaneously. The age estimate also raises further questions about the mode of evolution of H. sapiens in Africa and whether H. heidelbergensis/H. rhodesiensis was a direct ancestor of our species13,14.

Происхождение языковой способности человека в процессе антропосоциогенеза

The article examines unique features of the human language, considers approaches to the problem of origin of the human language ability. Relying on culturological and genetic data, the author concludes about stage-by-stage evolution of speech from the pidgin to the creole language. The most intensive language development occurred at the turn of the Mousterian - Châtelperronian - Aurignacian epochs and was conditioned by atypical interspecific interaction of the ancient people and the Neanderthal men. The researcher emphasizes that under the influence of the Neanderthal men, the ancient people came to suggestive interaction. As a result, signals of the first signal system were suppressed by the forming second signal system.