Hot Enough for Ug?
Another insidious global warming myth debunked. Climate change didn’t kill off the Neanderthals. Thanks to comparative radio carbon dating on the low brows and marine sediment data, John Hawks reports:
… they can show that none of the proposed last occurrences of Neandertals correspond to any exceptional periods of climate change. Only if Neandertals lived as recently as 24,000 years ago is there any chance of a climatic impact on them, as by that time Europe was starting to descend toward the harsh conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum. But anytime before 28,000 years, and the Neandertals would have been facing a pattern of climate cyclicity very much like they had survived for 100,000 years previously.
…
In my opinion, the idea that “climate killed the Neandertals” has always been misleading at best. Neandertals did not suddenly disappear.
Now, can we arrive at a more detailed understanding of the demographic dynamics of late Neandertals? Right now, it is fair to say there is a lot of doubt about when the last Neandertals lived. I’ve covered the problem with several posts in the last few years, including the recent (< 30,000 BP) date for Mousterian hearths at Gorham’s Cave, the redating of Vindija G1 up to 32,000 BP, Paul Mellars’ attempts to compress the chronology, the reasons why those attempts were wrong, and probably a few others.
I am in full agreement with my esteemed colleague Hawks.* There is clear evidence that Neanderthal strains remain among us. I used to work for one. Why, I’ve been given the high compliment of honorary Neanderthalship myself. With oak leaf cluster! Here’s some of my prior scholarship on the subject:
Backward Glance: A Shout-Out to Our Neanderthal Cousins
You say Ug, I say Ugh … Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
Hey Ug, What Inside That Coconut?
* Remind me sometime to tell you about my anthropology degree. They had to give it to me, even though I was scourged by the anthro-Marxists at SFSU for practising “journalism.” Markedly tabloid, I’d add.
Topics: Neanderthals
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:38 am on Saturday, September 22, 2007
6 Responses to “Hot Enough for Ug?”
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September 22nd, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I believe Neanderthals still exist, too. In fact, one of them recently asked to visit Ground Zero and was turned down by the NYPD.
September 22nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I’m sorry. Was that offensive to Neanderthals?
September 22nd, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Ah, you have one of those too, do you? See here and here.
September 22nd, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Rebecca,
Heh.
September 23rd, 2007 at 3:11 am
[...] JUST IN! Some interesting links about THE TRUTH about Neanderthals HERE and even a take on whether they were killed off by climate change. (Why didn’t they just go [...]
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Rebecca,
Just as calling jihadi terrorists swine is an insult to honest and goodhearted pigs everywhere.