Final answer:
Neandertals are distinguished by their large skulls and brains, robust facial features, and evidence of a diet heavy in meat, indicative of their adaptation to cold, challenging environments. Their anatomical features and evidence from the Neandertal world provide insight into the adaptive strategies in human evolution. The factors contributing to their extinction remain a topic of scientific debate.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Neandertals, a group that belongs to archaic Homo, had several unique anatomical features that set them apart from modern humans. They possessed a larger skull and brain size, as well as distinctive facial structures that included an occipital bun, large brow ridges with an air cavity, a protruding large nasal cavity, and front teeth with a rounded pattern of wear. These features are believed to have evolved in response to the harsh climates they lived in, such as cold glacial environments, which may have favored a more robust body to retain heat.
The Neandertal world was characterized by landscapes that ranged from forest to open steppe, impacted heavily by glacial and interglacial periods. Their climate was cooler and often more challenging than today's climate.
Human evolution is an intricate process influenced by environmental changes that demanded versatility and adaptation. Features such as bipedalism and brain size adaptations were responses to environmental pressures and resources available in different regions and time periods. The extinction of Neandertals remains a debate among scholars; however, factors such as competition with Homo sapiens, climate change, and possible interbreeding are considered key elements in their disappearance.