Why modern Homo sapiens replaced all other humans

[Celerity]

The other Homo sapiens

We are just one branch of a diverse human family tree. Aside from Neanderthals, who were they – and why did we replace them?

https://aeon.co/essays/why-one-branch-on-the-human-family-tree-replaced-all-the-others


The cave of Es-Skhul, Mount Carmel, Israel. Photo supplied by the author



On the western slope of Mount Carmel, in Israel, lies the cave of Es-Skhul. About 140,000 years ago, during the Ice Age, nomadic hunter-gatherers made camp here. The sea to the west had receded, exposing a broad plain covered with groves of live oak, almond and olive, meadows filled with asphodel and anemone. Herds of fallow deer, rhinoceros and aurochs roamed the plains. People hunted animals with stone-tipped spears, and foraged wild mustard and olives. And when they died, they buried their dead by the mouth of the cave. The skeletons found here represent some of the earliest known members of our species, Homo sapiens. But these Homo sapiens were very different from us.


3D scan of Skhul V, recovered from Skhul cave. Courtesy the Smithsonian Institution

Their skulls retained anatomical features seen in primitive humans like Neanderthals – huge brow ridges, massive jaws, thick skulls. But, despite their primitive appearance, they weren’t our ancestors; they appear too late in time. They’re a side branch of our evolutionary tree, one that went extinct, leaving no descendants. Why did we survive, while they didn’t?

The answer may lie in their skulls. They lacked the peculiar anatomical traits that modern humans share – small brow ridges, bubble-shaped skulls, reduced jaws, thin cranial bones – which are typical of juveniles of other hominins and apes. Compared with other hominins, we’re literally baby-faced. Selection for juvenile traits – low aggression, openness to novelty and new people – likely made us more social, and produced our immature-looking skulls as a side-effect. Ironically, it may have been this sociability and low aggression that made modern humans so incredibly dangerous to these primitive Homo sapiens.

Skhul Cave was first excavated in 1929, and parts of 10 skeletons were eventually found. Soon after, the remains of at least 28 people, dating to 90,000 years ago, were discovered near Nazareth at nearby Qafzeh Cave. When they were first found, the Skhul and Qafzeh remains were among the oldest known Homo sapiens. Today, a century later, they still are, and their meaning is still debated.


Qafzeh skull. Courtesy Wikipedia

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[Bluestocking]

1. Dogs

Our ancestors befriended dogs who became an integral part of our community. Working together with dogs we beat out all other human species.

[applegrove]

4. Dogs were domesticated 10,000 years ago I think.

The Neanderthals were long gone.

When were dogs domesticated

Dogs were domesticated between 12,500 and 15,000 years ago, but recent genetic studies suggest it might have occurred earlier, possibly around 33,000 years ago. The domestication process likely occurred in different locations, possibly including Central Asia, East Asia, and Western Europe.
Here's a more detailed look at the timeline:
Around 33,000 years ago:
Evidence of dog remains suggests possible domestication in the Altai Mountains of Siberia and a cave in Belgium.
Between 18,800 and 32,100 years ago:
Some research suggests dogs were domesticated in Europe or western Siberia during this period.
14,200 years ago:
The oldest undisputed dog skeleton, buried with humans in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany, provides concrete evidence of domestication.
15,000 to 14,000 years ago:
Wolves, the ancestors of modern dogs, began associating more closely with humans.
12,500 years ago:
The domestication of dogs is widely accepted to have occurred by this time.
11,000 years ago:
Humans in the Near East started developing relationships with wild animal populations, including aurochs, boar, sheep, and goats.

When did Neanderthals go extinct:

Neanderthals went extinct around 40,000 years ago. The last evidence of their presence in Europe and Western Eurasia, including cave sites like Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar, dates back to this period. While some speculate that interbreeding with early modern humans contributed to their decline, the exact causes of their extinction are still debated by scientists.

[samsingh]

2. Very interesting read

[applegrove]

3. Really interesting. Thanks Celerity.