Are Neanderthals Better Than Us Homo Sapiens?

Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi joins Tristan Hughes to explore the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. What interactions between early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals may have been like, from communication and cultural exchange to interbreeding and the possibility of hybrid children navigating belonging. They discuss how new research is challenging “primitive” stereotypes to reveal how Neanderthals were complex beings who used pigments, pierced shells, talons, feathers, and created cave handprints. 0:00 40,000 years ago: The Last Human Standing 0:40 Introducing Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi 2:17 The "New York Subway" Test: Would you recognise one? 4:20 Debunking the "Knuckle-Dragger" Stereotype 8:36 Shifting Timelines: How old are Neanderthals? 12:22 Physiology: The Neanderthal Build vs. Homo Sapiens 17:56 Neanderthal Culture: Spears, Shells, and Feathers 25:01 First Contact: The Neighbourhood at Mount Carmel 32:07 Technology Exchange & the Evolutionary Handshake 40:07 Interbreeding: The "Neanderthal Bad Boy" Theory 44:09 Putting the Emotion back in Human Evolution 48:00 The Turning Tide: Climate Change in Europe 53:13 The Final Verdict: Why did Neanderthals go extinct? Presented by Tristan Hughes. Producers are Joseph Knight & McKenna Fernandez, senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Editor is Matthew Wilson. Channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #HistoryHitPodcast #TheAncients #Evolution