Wednesday 13 February 2013

A real man?

A real man?

Scientists aren’t in agreement about much to do with Neanderthals. They’re still even arguing about whether Neanderthals are the same species as modern man: whether they should be called Homo sapiens neanderthalis, or, if they're a different species altogether, Homo neanderthalis.

What do I think myself? Well, all I can say is that I feel more sympathy with the Neanderthals of SONG HUNTER than with a lot of people I’ve met; and that personally I’d be charmed and honoured to discover I have a Neanderthal many-greats granny and grandad whose brains were bigger than those of most modern humans and who could do useful and splendid things like making knives from flint, making fur coats from dead animals, and staying alive in a very very cold climate.

2 comments:

  1. I quite agree. I could no more do any of those things than fly to the moon!

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  2. Ah, but that's because your Roedean was a school instead of a DENU (a little valley) where you ate ROE deer.

    I'm sure you'd have made a splendid Neanderthal, Adele: you'd probably have created the first ever mammoth-hair sweater.

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