Neanderthal - Knuckle-dragger or Stand-Up Guy? Quiz

Answer: Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

Australopithecus lived about 3 million BC. Homo habilis came after them, arriving around 2 million BC. Homo erectus's arrival was approximately 1.5 million BC, immediately preceding the Neanderthal, who appeared around 500,000 years BC.

Answer: Dinosaurs

The dinosaurs died out approximately 65 million years ago -- well before the time of Neanderthal.

Answer: From the valley where the remains were first found

The first remains were found in the Neander Valley, near Düsseldorf, in Germany. The valley was named after Joachim Neander, a theologian who composed more than sixty hymns for the Reformed (Calvinist) Church. Many of them were later widely adopted by other denominations.

Answer: Bent knees, heads jutting forward on their necks

The fossil remains which originally gave rise to the image of an ape-like "knuckle-dragging" humanoid were later found to be the remains of an elderly Neanderthal suffering from crippling arthritis. Scientists discovered that Neanderthals had skeletal shapes much like ours.

Their larger skull cavities suggest that their brains were larger than ours, although bigger doesn't always equate to better! Their stocky physique and larger noses were adaptations to help them survive in a cold climate.

Answer: Build wooden huts for shelter

They may have built shelters from animal bones, however.

Answer: Women took an active role in hunting large game

Dr. Steven Kuhn and Dr. Mary Stiner of the University of Arizona created a stir when they proposed that Neanderthal women and even children took active roles in the hunt as beaters or exit blockers. This premise was used to explain why Neanderthals died out, in that they put their means of reproduction (women) and promise of future generations (children) at risk. Previous theories held that men and women had very separate duties and only mingled for sexual purposes.

Answer: North America

Over 400 Neanderthal remains have been found in various places of the world including Belgium, Germany, France, Israel, and Zambia. No remains have been found in Antarctica, Australia, or either of the Americas.

Answer: True

Homo sapiens began replacing Neanderthals about 45,000 years ago, but Neanderthals coexisted with them for thousands of years in ever-decreasing regional populations. Dr. Paul Mellars, a professor at the University of Cambridge, proposes that the Neanderthal were out-witted by Homo sapiens, who didn't want competition for food, fuel, and suitable living space.

Although research is ongoing, no mitochondrial DNA evidence yet supports a definite link between Neanderthal and modern humans.

Answer: False

Some diggings suggest that Neanderthals had the physical ability to speak. In 1983 a hyoid bone was found at a Neanderthal fossil site. This bone would have made speech possible. Fossil remains also show the presence of a hypoglossal canal which carries the nerve controlling the muscles of the tongue. An extraction of DNA from Neanderthal bones found the same gene, FOXP2, that today's humans carry.

This gene is one of the components of speech. Whether Neanderthals actually did have a spoken language will probably never be determined.

Answer: All of these

In addition to skull injuries, Neanderthals suffered a lot of fractures. The fractures, however, weren't accompanied by infection, which implied that wounded Neanderthals received some level of care. In a 1995 article in the "Journal of Archaeological Science", T.D. Berger and E. Trinkaus suggested that the pattern of fractures was consistent with Neanderthals jumping on their prey and stabbing or wrestling it to the ground.

This mode of hunting would explain why so many of the remains show evidence of fractures. Arthritis was common and skeletons found in Iraq show evidence of degenerative joint disease.