Prompt Cast
The Coexistence and Disappearance of Neanderthals
TLDR Neanderthals coexisted with Homo sapiens until about 40,000 years ago and were initially misunderstood and categorized as inferior. They eventually disappeared, possibly due to competition with Homo sapiens for resources and interbreeding, but evidence suggests they were capable of technological innovation and exhibited behaviors previously thought to be unique to modern humans.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Neanderthals were a species of human that coexisted with Homo sapiens until about 40,000 years ago, and were initially discovered in the 1850s.
05:15
Neanderthals were initially discovered in the 1850s and were recognized as a different species of human, but they were misunderstood and categorized as inferior due to racist scientific practices at the time.
10:23
Neanderthals and Homo sapiens developed independently and had little contact with each other, but eventually shared space in the Middle East and Europe for a long period of time before Neanderthals disappeared.
15:06
The dominant theory is that Homo sapiens out-competed Neanderthals for resources and ultimately caused their disappearance, but the discovery of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans suggests that they also intermixed and shared space.
20:06
Neanderthals didn't go away, they were absorbed into the larger human genome through interbreeding and their traits gradually disappeared over time, possibly due to a decrease in fertility rates caused by climate change.
25:06
Neanderthals were not the hunched over brutes they were once believed to be, but rather had similar physical characteristics to modern humans and were capable of technological innovation.
30:12
Neanderthals were capable of technological innovation, such as toolmaking and the use of fire, and also exhibited behaviors that were previously thought to be unique to modern humans, such as hunting in packs and using symbols for adornment.
34:54
In 2018, cave art dating back 64,000 years was discovered in a cave in Spain, suggesting that Neanderthals were capable of creating art and challenging the idea that only Homo sapiens had this ability.
39:51
Neanderthals appeared to have created art, buried their dead in specific ways, cared for and healed one another, and likely had their own language that may have influenced modern languages.
44:53
The hosts thank listeners for their gifts and kindnesses, including booze, glasses, a Twinkie the Kid statue, Fuku merchandise, Christmas cards, Wendy's chili, a t-shirt and stickers, King Cakes, and hand-quilted postcards.
49:48
The hosts thank listeners for their gifts and kindnesses, including beer chocolates, miniature clay figures, a postcard from Vienna, a wedding invitation, hand-lathed pins, t-shirts and CDs, a book, coffee crisps, an illustration, Megalodon teeth, and dog collars.
Categories:
Society & Culture
