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Homo neanderthalensis
Pleistocene hominid that evolved from Homo erectus about 100,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East. A cousin rather than an ancestor to Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthalensis was short, stocky, and powerfully-built, and perfectly physiologically adapted to the harsh conditions of ice-age Europe, e survived with almost no change for some 70,000 years. E developed a culture that included elaborate funeral rituals, burying their dead with ornaments, caring for the sick, and making tools for domestic use and for protection. Homo neanderthalensis disappeared about 35,000 to 40,000 years ago, being unable to compete with Homo sapiens. A few of the Children of Gaia are said to be Neanderthal Rianths, and the genotype is popular among some clades in the Utopia Sphere and elsewhere.
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Development Notes
Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Initially published on 07 November 2001.
Initially published on 07 November 2001.
