|
(quotes
on separate page in original) |
| Q25 |
"Neanderthals had
short, narrow skulls, large cheekbones and noses and, most distinctive,
bunlike bony bumps on the backs of their heads. Many modern Danes and
Norwegians have identical features, Brace reported at the annual meeting
of the American Anthropological Association in Phoenix... Indeed, the
present-day European skulls resemble Neanderthal skulls more closely
than they resemble the skulls of American Indians or Australian
aborigines." C. Loring Brace, "Neanderthal Traits Extant,
Group Told". The Arizona Republic (Phoenix), p. B-5, (After
measuring more than 500 relatively modern northwestern Europeans
craniums last year. Report on: Physical anthropologist and evolutionist.
University of Michigan |
Was Brace argueing that
Neanderthal Man was the same as modern man? Even if that is the case
(and I don't know what the context of this quotation) why is his opinion
more authoritative than those of anybody else in the scientific
community who has worked on Neanderthal Man? What is his evidence? |
irrelevant |
| Q26 |
"Detailed
comparisons of Neanderthal skeletal remains with those of modern humans
have shown that there is nothing in Neanderthal anatomy that
conclusively indicates locomotor, manipulative, intellectual or
linguistic abilities inferior to those of modern humans." One
of the world's foremost authorities on Neanderthal man, Erik Trinkaus
(Natural History vol. 87, p. 10, 1978) |
So what? |
irrelevant |
| Q27 |
Back in 1872, Virchow,
probably the greatest biologist of his day and the founder of medical
pathology, cited evidence that the peculiarities of Neanderthal man were
due not to a special place in the chain of evolution, but rather to a
bad case of rickets and arthritis in later years. Virchow was not alone
in citing this. |
So what? Why is the
opinion of Virchow, given over 130 years ago relevant to our modern
understanding? |
incredibly out-of-date |
| Q28 |
In 1957, the anatomists
William Straus and A. J. Cave examined one of the French Neanderthals
(La Chapelle-aux-Saints) and determined that the individual suffered
from severe arthritis (as suggested by Virchow nearly 100 years
earlier), which affected the vertebrae and bent the posture. |
Note: one individual
suffered from arthritis. Not all suffered from arthritis. |
irrelevant |
| Q29 |
Perhaps our best
impression of what Neanderthal man actually looked like comes from the
work of the forensic artist, Jay Matterens. Matterens, who specializes
in "fleshing out" skeletons with modeling clay to aid in the
identification of homicide victims, worked closely with anthropologists
to "flesh out" a skeleton of Neanderthal man. The result,
pictured prominently on the cover of the magazine Science 81 (October,
1981), was essentially indistinguishable from modern man! |
So what? Why should an
artist's mistakes be relevant to a scientific understanding of
Neanderthal Man? |
irrelevant |
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