Why cro magnon

The notion that modern Europeans directly descended from Neanderthals has mostly yielded to two competing models: One postulates that modern humans arose in Africa about , years ago and completely replaced coexisting archaic forms with no interbreeding, while the other proposes a gradual transition with interbreeding.

Though mounting genetic evidence based on mitochondrial DNA extracted from fossils suggests Neanderthals and early humans did not breed, the evidence has been inconclusive. Currat and Excoffier's model refines various parameters—such as geographic boundaries, local population variations, range expansion, and competition for resources—based on archeological and demographic data for both populations.

Evidence suggests modern humans replaced Neanderthals over 12, years, for example, which constrains the speed at which modern humans could expand. What could account for this counterintuitive result? Given a low population density with small local breeding populations, any introduction of Neanderthal genes would decrease the frequency of Cro-Magnon genes of that population; if these Neanderthal integrations take place as the Cro-Magnon population is expanding, newly acquired Neanderthal genes would also be amplified.

Since no Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA has been found in modern-day Europeans, the authors modeled the maximum number of interbreeding events that would support this observation. While the authors acknowledge their simulations suggest rather than reflect reality, their model does incorporate real historical data such as Cro-Magnon expansion over time and local population growth. At a value of only 0. Skeletal remains and associated artifacts of the of the Aurignacian culture were first found in in Les Eyzies, Dordogne, France.

Cro-Magnon man was anatomically identical to modern humans, but differed significantly from Neanderthals see Neanderthal man , who disappear in the fossil about 10, years after the appearance of Aurignacian and other upper Paleolithic populations e. The abrupt disappearance of Neanderthal populations and the associated Mousterian technologies, the sudden appearance of modern Homo sapiens who had arisen earlier in Africa and migrated to Europe and the associated upper Paleolithic technologies, and the absence of transitional anatomical or technological forms have led many researchers to hypothesize that Neanderthals were driven to extinction through competition with Cro-Magnon or related populations.

But which would be more insulting? People You Can Impress: Anthropologists—they're just happy to talk to someone who's not a fossilized skeletal fragment. The Quick Trick: Neanderthals are more primitive but stronger. Cro-Magnons are us. The Explanation: Cognitively speaking, it's definitely more insulting to call someone a Neanderthal.

But if you're talking musculature, they might just take it as a compliment. Neanderthals Homo neanderthalensis were discovered first in Germany's Neander Valley in They emerged between , and , years ago, give or take, in the early and middle Paleolithic era, and they used tools, albeit very simple ones.

Often they resorted to using rocks or flakes broken off of rocks by hitting them with other rocks , bones, and sticks. And they used fire, too! Neanderthals were more muscular than the later Homo sapiens, and their skulls were flatter, with broad noses and pronounced ridges on the forehead which is why, to us, they look rather dim.