About Human Evolution
By Andrew Lyon
Before modern humans walked across every continent, another kind of human ruled the Ice Age world.
From 130,000 to 40,000 years ago, Homo neanderthalensis—the Neanderthals—thrived across Europe and parts of western Asia. Stocky, strong, and intelligent, they were perfectly adapted to cold climates, with broad noses to warm icy air, powerful limbs for endurance, and a brain slightly larger than our own. Far from the primitive image once painted, Neanderthals were skilled toolmakers, hunters, and artists who cared for their injured and buried their dead.
They lived in close-knit communities, crafting stone tools, tanning hides, and using fire to survive the harsh Ice Age winters. Archaeological evidence reveals that they wore clothing, used pigments, and may even have adorned themselves with jewelry made from shells and animal teeth. Their voices could likely produce speech similar to ours, and they shared emotional bonds that echo through the fossil record in gestures of care and compassion.
Around 60,000 years ago, modern humans (Homo sapiens) began migrating into Neanderthal territory. For thousands of years, the two species coexisted—and interbred. Today, the genetic legacy of Neanderthals lives on in nearly every person of non-African ancestry, with about one to two percent of their DNA still present in our genes.
The Neanderthal was not a failed experiment but a mirror to ourselves—a reminder that humanity’s story was once shared by many kinds of humans, not just one.
Strange fact: Neanderthals went extinct about 40,000 years ago, but traces of their DNA influence everything from our immune systems to how we adapt to cold weather today.
