The Sixth Extinction Chapter 12 - Elyonni Tordesillas

      In Germany, there is a small valley know as Das Neandertal. Here, in the mid-19th century, workers stumbled upon the first Neanderthal remains. Since then, scientists have found Neanderthal remains in other parts of Europe and the Middle East. Neanderthals had sophisticated tools, wore animal skins to keep themselves warm, and hunted for food. Then, about 30,000 years ago, they vanished. Some researchers argue that environmental changes wiped out the Neanderthals, while others claim that Homo sapiens killed them. It’s likely, however, that Homo sapiens interbred with the Neanderthals. At first, scientists thought that the remains of Neanderthals belonged to regular human beings. However, some specialists pointed out that the bones were bowed in unusual areas. In the coming decades, more Neanderthal bones surfaced, and researchers noticed that the skeletons had unusually large skulls and unusually bowed femur bones. Early 20th century scientists portrayed Neanderthals as hairy, brutish creatures who could barely stand up straight, and this was taken as evidence of their uncivilized nature. However, after World War II, anatomists re-examined Neanderthal remains and made some striking conclusions. They decided that Neanderthals didn’t walk with a slouch, weren’t hairy, and, in fact, looked striking like modern humans. There is even some evidence that Neanderthals buried their dead and planted flowers on the graves. This passage highlights the eagerness of scientists to distance humans from Neanderthals, an extinct species that humans may have wiped out. While science is shown throughout the book to be innovative and promising for the planet, the instances in which science falters and confirms some of humanity’s worst impulses are equally important. The dehumanization of the Neanderthal by 20th century science shows that science is only as rigorous as the humans who practice it.