Description
In NOVA: Decoding Neanderthals, we learn of the surprising sophistication of a distant branch of the human family tree. Once thought to be primitive brutes, new evidence is revealing our Neanderthal ancestors to be much more like modern humans than previously thought. Neanderthals began to disappear about 40,000 years ago after encountering our species, Homo sapiens. We also know today that many modern humans carry a small percent of Neanderthal DNA, and that this is evidence that our two human families once interbred.
The Google Docs worksheet consists of 42 multiple choice questions that follow the video, and a key is included.
You will need to obtain a DVD of the video or locate an internet site for streaming.
Other Resources:
A Google Forms self-grading quiz of the video questions is available here. (Note: Access to the Google Quiz requires an extra payment.)
A zip file download featuring PDF and MS Word versions of the video questions is available here. (Note: Access to these files requires an additional payment.)
The video is available for streaming from the PBS internet site. (Please make sure that the video is accessible before purchasing this TPT resource.)
NOVA: Decoding Neanderthals Overview
During the last ice age, Neanderthals lived in the harsh climate of Europe. They were hunter gatherers who searched for scarce game and led brutish and short lives. Neanderthals lived in Europe for nearly 300,000 years and began to decline and became extinct after contact with modern humans began 40,000 years ago. According to anthropologist Ed Green, the demise of the Neanderthals is like a “murder mystery”. Neanderthals are the extinct branch of the human family tree closest to modern humans. They were shorter and stockier than us with distinctive brow ridges and forward projecting faces. They were long thought to be ape-like, brutish cavemen, but today we have evidence that the Neanderthal shared many traits with modern humans. Neanderthals made useful stone tools, Levallois flakes, out of flint. They also invented a process, a type of furnace, for extracting sap from birch bark to create glue for cementing stone points onto spears. This glue production is likely the first industrial process ever invented by humans, and it wasn’t done by modern humans. The sequencing of Neanderthal DNA accomplished by Paabo Svante’s team indicates that Neanderthals had the exact same gene that we have, FoxP2, that governs speech and communication. It seems likely that Neanderthals had speech and were able to communicate information across generations. The sequencing of Neanderthal DNA was a monumental task made possible by the discovery of some intact leg bones in a cave in Croatia. Along with the discovery of the FoxP2 gene in Neanderthal DNA, we now know that people of non-African, or European and Asian ancestry, exhibit 1-4% Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. We know that Neanderthals interbred with modern humans. Work on assessing the intelligence of Neanderthals is progressing forward, and previous discoveries are being reevaluated with this new emphasis in mind. A mineral fragment of manganese oxide found at a Neanderthal site suggested that it was likely used as a type of crayon. Cut marks on bones found in Gibraltar suggest that Neanderthal were cutting off bird feathers possibly to wear as ornamentation. In Spain, seashells found at Neanderthal sites bear traces of the red pigment hematite. Anthropologist Joao Zihao is convinced that he has discovered the equivalent of a Neanderthal body-painting kit. Neanderthals also intentionally buried their dead. Although elaborate grave goods are absent, the discovery of a body in southern Spain suggests that it was laid to rest in a fetal position, and the body was found with two panther paws which could represent a type of burial offering. Whether modern humans caused the extinction of Neanderthals is debatable. It seems likely that the Neanderthal population became swamped by the arrival of a large population of modern humans. Evidence from the 1000 Genomes Project enabled anthropologist John Hawks to estimate the amount of interbreeding that occurred between Neanderthals and modern humans. According to Hawks, the greatest amount occurred in Southern Europe, and the least amount occurred in China. These results suggest that prolonged interbreeding took place and that it wasn’t just a handful of sexual encounters that occurred. Instead of a sudden extinction event, the Neanderthals likely became absorbed into the dominant population, and their legacy lives with us today in our DNA. Neanderthal DNA may also have conferred extra immunity to European diseases and would have been helpful to our ancestors and to their descendants today. For example, analysis of human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) suggest that Neanderthal DNA could reduce the risk of contracting the deadly Epstein-Barr virus. In this way we likely owe a debt of gratitude towards our distant Neanderthal ancestors.
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Description
In NOVA: Decoding Neanderthals, we learn of the surprising sophistication of a distant branch of the human family tree. Once thought to be primitive brutes, new evidence is revealing our Neanderthal ancestors to be much more like modern humans than previously thought. Neanderthals began to disappear about 40,000 years ago after encountering our species, Homo sapiens. We also know today that many modern humans carry a small percent of Neanderthal DNA, and that this is evidence that our two human families once interbred.
The Google Docs worksheet consists of 42 multiple choice questions that follow the video, and a key is included.
You will need to obtain a DVD of the video or locate an internet site for streaming.
Other Resources:
A Google Forms self-grading quiz of the video questions is available here. (Note: Access to the Google Quiz requires an extra payment.)
A zip file download featuring PDF and MS Word versions of the video questions is available here. (Note: Access to these files requires an additional payment.)
The video is available for streaming from the PBS internet site. (Please make sure that the video is accessible before purchasing this TPT resource.)
NOVA: Decoding Neanderthals Overview
During the last ice age, Neanderthals lived in the harsh climate of Europe. They were hunter gatherers who searched for scarce game and led brutish and short lives. Neanderthals lived in Europe for nearly 300,000 years and began to decline and became extinct after contact with modern humans began 40,000 years ago. According to anthropologist Ed Green, the demise of the Neanderthals is like a “murder mystery”. Neanderthals are the extinct branch of the human family tree closest to modern humans. They were shorter and stockier than us with distinctive brow ridges and forward projecting faces. They were long thought to be ape-like, brutish cavemen, but today we have evidence that the Neanderthal shared many traits with modern humans. Neanderthals made useful stone tools, Levallois flakes, out of flint. They also invented a process, a type of furnace, for extracting sap from birch bark to create glue for cementing stone points onto spears. This glue production is likely the first industrial process ever invented by humans, and it wasn’t done by modern humans. The sequencing of Neanderthal DNA accomplished by Paabo Svante’s team indicates that Neanderthals had the exact same gene that we have, FoxP2, that governs speech and communication. It seems likely that Neanderthals had speech and were able to communicate information across generations. The sequencing of Neanderthal DNA was a monumental task made possible by the discovery of some intact leg bones in a cave in Croatia. Along with the discovery of the FoxP2 gene in Neanderthal DNA, we now know that people of non-African, or European and Asian ancestry, exhibit 1-4% Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. We know that Neanderthals interbred with modern humans. Work on assessing the intelligence of Neanderthals is progressing forward, and previous discoveries are being reevaluated with this new emphasis in mind. A mineral fragment of manganese oxide found at a Neanderthal site suggested that it was likely used as a type of crayon. Cut marks on bones found in Gibraltar suggest that Neanderthal were cutting off bird feathers possibly to wear as ornamentation. In Spain, seashells found at Neanderthal sites bear traces of the red pigment hematite. Anthropologist Joao Zihao is convinced that he has discovered the equivalent of a Neanderthal body-painting kit. Neanderthals also intentionally buried their dead. Although elaborate grave goods are absent, the discovery of a body in southern Spain suggests that it was laid to rest in a fetal position, and the body was found with two panther paws which could represent a type of burial offering. Whether modern humans caused the extinction of Neanderthals is debatable. It seems likely that the Neanderthal population became swamped by the arrival of a large population of modern humans. Evidence from the 1000 Genomes Project enabled anthropologist John Hawks to estimate the amount of interbreeding that occurred between Neanderthals and modern humans. According to Hawks, the greatest amount occurred in Southern Europe, and the least amount occurred in China. These results suggest that prolonged interbreeding took place and that it wasn’t just a handful of sexual encounters that occurred. Instead of a sudden extinction event, the Neanderthals likely became absorbed into the dominant population, and their legacy lives with us today in our DNA. Neanderthal DNA may also have conferred extra immunity to European diseases and would have been helpful to our ancestors and to their descendants today. For example, analysis of human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) suggest that Neanderthal DNA could reduce the risk of contracting the deadly Epstein-Barr virus. In this way we likely owe a debt of gratitude towards our distant Neanderthal ancestors.
