New research has highlighted the similarities between the subspecies and ‘homo sapiens,’ questioning in the process what it means to be human.
The known differences between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals appear to grow ever slighter. As scientists prove that we have more in common with those once considered distant cousins of humankind, new writing on the topic has exploded. The deluge of scientific papers, revelatory books and exhibitions focuses on dismantling preconceptions of Neanderthals, who lived in Asia and Europe for at least 300,000 years.
As Israeli historian and essayist Yuval Noah Harari writes: “just by being, Neanderthals challenge some of our most cherished ideals and delusions. Neanderthals force us to question the belief that Homo sapiens is the apex of creation and, more generally, what it means to be human. These questions are now more urgent than ever.”
