Tools Test Debunks 'Dumb Neanderthals' Theory

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So, the "intellectual advantage" theory of why modern humans survived and Neanderthals did not has taken yet another blow, the experts said.

Adler pointed out that, for a period of time much earlier in their history, Neanderthals and even pre-Neanderthals had also used "blades," so the technology certainly wasn't new to them. "In fact, I just started excavating a site in Armenia this summer that has blades from 200,000-400,000 years ago," he said.

However, it's possible that sharing a distinct type of tool might have served a social purpose that gave Homo sapiens a survival edge, Eren said. He theorizes that the shared "blade" technology may have drawn the species together culturally into larger and more cohesive groups. It's well known that, by the time of the Neanderthals' demise, Homo sapiens greatly outnumbered Neanderthals in Europe. In fact, even at their peak population, fewer than 10,000 Neanderthals lived across the whole of Europe and Central Asia, Adler said.

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"It is [also] hypothesized, sometimes, that the reproduction levels of Homo sapiens were much higher than that of Neanderthals," Eren noted. "This might have resulted in Homo sapiens simply outpopulating the Neanderthals out of existence."

More information

Find out more on human evolution at Minnesota State University.

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