Neanderthals are a type of human genus that appeared about 400,000 years ago and is said to be extinct about 20,000 years ago. Once as an old man, [ Homo sapiens ], But recent research has led to the view that it is not a direct ancestor but a completely different race.
Naturally, the gene difference between the two was so high that they could be regarded as different species, and the idea that mixed blood was not possible was predominant. I found out that.
How did our ancestors come?
Our ancestors are said to have arrived from various directions, about 20,000 years before the Last Glacial Period, when the Japanese archipelago was still connected to the continent. After that, when the whole earth warmed and the Japanese archipelago became a complete island, people stopped coming and going, and the remaining people had their own culture, Jomon culture . Is born.
After that, people with rice farming culture came to Japan from the continent, and the two were mixed and the Japanese were born. Many of the humans who came from the continent during the Paleolithic period inherited the Neanderthal blood, and many of their genes remained in the Japanese archipelago, which was isolated from the continent.
Neanderthal blood remains strong in Japanese
According to one study, Japanese genes frequently contain Neanderthal genes. The gene is rarely found in Africans, but it has been confirmed in Europeans and Asians, and it is said that Japanese have this gene most frequently.
Neanderthal extinction
Neanderthals have a certain period of time [ Homo sapiens ], It is said that they lived at the same time and had a coexistence relationship in some areas.
About their extinction,
- I couldn't stand the changes in the environment
- Lost the competition for survival with Homo sapiens
- Homo sapiens attacked and destroyed
There is a theory that says.
However, it is known that Neanderthals have a larger brain capacity than Homo sapiens and are physically superior to the skeleton. Since he used both stone tool production techniques and fire, he had the same ability as Homo sapiens.
In that case, the Neanderthals who were physically superior would have been overwhelmingly superior.
So why is it extinct?
According to one theory, the Neanderthals were physically superior, but their basal metabolism was 1.2 times that of Homo sapiens, and it took 1.5 times more energy to move around.
Powerful but poor fuel economy Therefore, the range of movement is narrow and the rise of prey is small, and it is said that Homo sapiens entered and intercepted the prey.
Also, although the true meaning is unknown, there is a theory that the Neanderthals lost the conflict with Homo sapiens and became extinct because they were a kind race who did not like conflict, according to one researcher.
Culturally, Neanderthals are burial habits It is said that there was a flower buried with fossils. It is believed that he was mourning the person who died due to the large number of flowers.
If there was a kindness to fold flowers toward the deceased, there is a part that is familiar to modern people, and I cannot help feeling that their genes are inherited.
Many theories are mixed and not clear, but if you think that the root of the peace-loving Japanese is the kindness of the Neanderthals, there may be romance.