The idea that Neanderthals are ancestors of the Modern Humans may always be up for debate. Scientists cite DNA evidence, location of fossils, anatomic similarities, and cultural behavior to support both sides of the argument. While the evidence is strong that Neanderthals and homo sapiens interbred, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the Neanderthals role in modern humans’ origins.
The most compelling evidence that Neanderthals are ancestors of the modern human is the discovery of Neanderthal DNA in humans of non-African descent. Unfortunately, this is also evidence that the Neanderthal is not an ancestor of the modern human but only crossed paths and the two groups interbred for a period before the Neanderthals disappeared. If the Neanderthal was an ancestor of modern human the mitochondrial DNA would be found in the genetic make-up of all humans.
Another argument is the discovery of fossils across Africa, Europe and Asia.…show more content… One of the reasons we know so much about Neanderthals is that they buried their dead. An article in Scientific America states, “Some archaeologists have long argued that a number of Neandertal sites preserve evidence of burials, a practice considered to be a key feature of modern human behavior.” This, along with the discovery of Mousterian tools, and the ability to survive harsh climates have been used to infer the relationship between humans and Neanderthals but does not prove ancestry.
In conclusion, there is some evidence of Neanderthals as part of the human ancestry. It is more likely that the modern human lived beside Neanderthals 30,000 to 40,0000 years ago. The Neanderthal genome project has proven that some of today’s humans have common DNA with the Neanderthal. But, science, carbon dating, and archeological digs have yet to prove that Neanderthals were part of direct Homo Sapien
