Question about Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals?

Question

I wanted to know why Cro-Magnons where intelligent and Neanderthals were not. Where did each originate from? Whey were Cro-Magons 'homo sapiens' and Neanderthals were not? Why did they look the same, only with a few differences and have completly different mental abilities? Can anyone answer these because they are very confusing.

Answer 1

The only structural difference, is that Neanderthals had an "A"-shaped ribcage (like a gorilla), and we have a "V"-shaped ribcage, although I've seen some humans today, that have an "A"-shaped ribcage, and do look somewhat more gorilla-ish...

Answer 2

I think there are a couple of things that are different in the brain. I am pretty sure the frontal lobe is really the important thing. Cro-magnons were more a jack of all trades, while the neaderthal was more the master of the ice age.

Cro-magon was able to out compete neaderthal in the end by communicating better with each other with more complex communication, a range of techniques to capture food etc,

neadterthals were heavier set and hardy and adapted for the cold ice age times, but after that finished they retreated to the cooler areas which was less and less of europe, while the cro magnons increased their range, becoming more resouceful etc.

I am certain the brain of neadterthal was actually larger than cro-magnon but its the parts of the brain that was important.

the combination of the brain, body, niches and the environment of the time meant that cro magnon was better suited to it ( remember no 2 species can live in the same niche as one will always out compete the other)...in this case neadterthal died out and that was the end of that.

Answer 3

First, they were nearly equal in intelligence.The Neanderthals, as did the Cro-Magnons, had an average brain weight slightly  greater than modern humans.They did not exhibit different abilities - both hunted, grew some of their own foods,honored and buried their dead, made tools, and even had language(both have a hyoid bone necessary for language). It is not yet certain that Neanderthals are a different, or,same species than humans.It has been assumed that they mated  with Cro-Magnon and a hybrid child being found(DNA testing is necessary to confirm this): http://cogweb.ucla.edu/ep/Neanderthal.ht... . Neanderthals are closer to chimpanzees than us.Dressed in street clothes, they would probably draw little attention, looking like a stalky weightlifter.We(modern humans) are a subspecies of Homo sapiens(Cro-Magnon man), Homo sapiens sapiens, to be exact.Both are descendants from early hominoids(human-like, Homo erectus generally considered the 1st hominoid) in Africa.The genetic material between the three is at least 99.5 % the same-Cro-Magnon man is closer to us(almost identical) than Neanderthal.At the time of the Neanderthal's disappearance(still a mystery), they were as evolved as Cro-Magnon man.

On another note, some people believe the above are actually remanants of a destroyed advanced civilization(i.e.-Atlantis, Lemura,Mu). This is not as far fetched as it sounds. Nothing explanes how these two became so advanced in such a short time period with NO transition forms.If modern society were wiped out, we would be in the same position. There are many indications of societies much older and more advanced than modern humans-fossilized human footprints along side dinosaur fossiled footprint trails, 99.99 % pure gold chains embedded in coal(millions of years to make and still hard to produce purity today), cave drawings showing modernly dressed humans observing what appears to be Tyranasauraus Rex stalking/fighting with its prey(humans and dinosaurs allegedly lived millions of years apart). and many other oddities.

Answer 4

They were both intelligent but intelligence is a relative word. If you were thrown in their world, you would not be intelligent, most likely dead.  They are both from Africa. Cro-Magnon(area in France) was an early European, was a Homo sapien and Neanderthal was human but Homo neanderthal, they lived in Europe, west Asia and the Middle East. The two were separated for about 200,000 years. The ancestors of Neanderthal left Africa first. Neanderthal short, muscular, brow ridges, larger brains, different noses, chins(I don't think they had one), jaws, etc. Cro-Magnon did look different from us but not much. Neanderthal mental abilities are still being debated, they're gone and we aren't, so you can assume.  

Answer 5

im not sure but.....

Neanderthals had brains that were more developed in the back, which is where instincts and tradition and memory is. if they found a way to do something that worked they really stuck to it. they were bad at thinking up new things so they never evolved. neanderthals were closer to apes i think so they looked more like a chimp. the main difference was their sloped back forehead but thats why they thought differently.

cro-magnons developed the front of the brain which focus on forward thinking. we can visualize things that have never been, invent things, adapt things to fit our needs and change or ways more easily.

they were both intelligent but in different ways, but the cro-magnons way of thinking proved to be more useful when it came to survival of the fittest.

Answer 6

Both evolved from Homo erectus. The Neanderthals were well adapted to the ice age weather in Europe and have been found into Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Early Modern Humans (EMH) ("Cro-magnon" has been replaced) developed in Africa and spread into Europe.

DNA testing strongly indicates that the two were separate species. Supposed hybrid have been found to fall within the normal variation of their species.

The telling point is what each produced. Neanderthals started with a basic stone tool kit and in 130,000 years never changed. Homo sapien (EMH) quickly spread worldwide, producing art, decorations, sculpture and an extensive tool kit.

While the Neanderthal brains were slightly larger (and even less when body size is factored in) it was how the two groups used their brains that mattered.