Final answer:
Neanderthals were robust and adapted to cold climates, providing insights into human evolution. Hypothesized reasons for their extinction include competition with modern humans, who had advanced language and technology. Genetic research, such as differences in the RUNX2 gene, has helped to track human evolution and the interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The key features of the Neanderthals included a robust build with heavy brow ridges, a large nose, and a protruding mid-facial region. They were shorter and stockier compared to modern humans, adaptations likely suiting cold climates. Neanderthals are important to human evolution as they are our closest extinct human relatives and our understanding of their lifestyle, culture, and interaction with Homo sapiens provides valuable insights into our own origins.
One hypothesized cause for the extinction of the Neanderthal is competition with anatomically modern humans, who may have had advantages such as more advanced language, technology, and social structures. Genetic research has shed light on human evolution by revealing instances of interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans and tracking changes in genes crucial to human development.
Homo naledi, Homo floresiensis, and Homo luzonensis share features such as small statures and relatively small brain sizes, which are unique adaptations to their environments. In contrast, humans continue to evolve in areas like disease resistance and brain function; for example, the persistence of lactose tolerance in certain populations is an evolutionary adaption to agriculture.
Linguistic abilities in modern humans provided a survival tool for better coordination and transmission of knowledge, which may have given them an edge over Neanderthals. Artifacts and skeletal remains suggest that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens could have interbred, a claim bolstered by the presence of Neanderthal DNA in non-African humans today. Moreover, scholars suggest Paleolithic cave paintings were likely not intended for widespread admiration but had other functions, possibly related to religious or communal activities.
The gene RUNX2 presents significant differences between Neanderthals and modern humans and is implicated in evolutionary changes affecting the skull and torso shape.
Differences Between Old World and New World Monkeys
Old World monkeys usually have non-prehensile tails and narrow, downward-facing nostrils, while New World monkeys often have prehensile tails and wide, side-facing nostrils. Early hominins, including Neanderthals, exhibited bipedalism, manual dexterity, and changes in tooth structure indicative of dietary adaptations. Environmental pressures such as climate changes and resource distribution shaped these evolutionary traits.