Are modern humans biologically related to Neanderthals Essay

Are modern humans biologically related to Neanderthals - Essay Example The result of the studies shows that the modern humans originated from Africa about 150,000 years ago and were dispersed to other parts of the world where they replaced Neanderthals rather than interbreeding with them. This is clearly evidenced by the discovery of skeletal remains of anatomically modern humans in different parts of the world. Anatomically modern humans were discovered in Africa while distinctively modern humans were discovered in Europe and Asia. The anatomically modern humans existed 150,000 years ago while the distinctive modern populations existed 40,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence also shows that Aurignacian technologies were spread across central, southeastern and Western Europe through the dispersion modern human from Africa. The Aurignacian technologies of modern human emerged directly from the Neanderthal technologies; indicating that the Neanderthals of Asia and Europe associated with new populations from Africa. Another group of the modern human was dispersed along the coastal Mediterranean of Europe. Neanderthal genes disappeared in Europe because there was a direct competition between the Neanderthals and the modern humans in terms space and resources. The modern humans won because they had more complex technology and organization.According to Mellars (2004), there must have been great contact and interaction between modern populations expanding into Europe and the indigenous Neanderthals across Europe. These interactions were mainly behavioral.