Researchers Say Neanderthals Were Smarter Than We Thought — But Here’s Why They Still Went Extinct While We Survived

There is a misconception that some people have about the reason why the modern human species survived out of all the other hominins, like Neanderthals, and that is, we are smarter than the rest. This could possibly be true, but it is more likely that it is an oversimplification, or that it just played a very small part in why everyone else went extinct aside from us.

Which is why, when newer studies found that Neanderthals, who dominated Eurasia for hundreds of thousands of years, were not any less intelligent than modern humans, people began to wonder what could really be the reason this human species went extinct about 40,000 years ago.

Neanderthals Were Smart, Not Dumb

Neanderthals are intelligent in their own right and were able to be the leading human species in large parts of Europe and Asia. Just like modern humans, this species was able to make tools and use fire.

Recent studies even found that they had fat factories about 125,000 years ago. They hunted animals, ate them, then crushed and boiled their bones to extract grease and fat. Some scientists also thought that they ate meat with maggots, which was very beneficial in the ice age, where food sources were scarce. This practice allowed them to ferment the meat, make it easier to chew, and add some needed nutrients to their diet.

Studies have also shown that the tools Neanderthals made were not any less useful than ours. Their tools, such as spears and pointy stones, were all well-made. They used them to hunt bigger animals efficiently, while reducing the risks, as these are projectile weapons.

Neanderthals are also thought to have possessed a bigger brain than modern humans. Their growing brains may have supported them in processing complex thinking just as ours do. In other words, Neanderthal’s extinction is most likely not because they were any less smart than us.

Read more: The Guardian | PLOS One

Tiny Inventions and Limited Clothing

A Neanderthal Odyssey: Everything We Know about the Neanderthals

Neanderthals used tools and made clothing, but their tools were thought to have evolved more slowly than those of modern humans over a very long time. They also did not sew any fitting clothes that would have made it easier for them to fare well in colder environments.

Scientists still think that Neanderthals wore clothing, as they probably wore animal hides and skins to survive in the ice age. However, without the necessary technology and innovation, their clothing is likely loose and cape-like. This meant that they had less effective protection for the cold temperatures.

Rather than a sheer intelligence gap, this is a kind of inventiveness that may have played a decisive role in determining which species survive and propagate. It is more likely because of modern humans’ adaptive and cumulative culture, which allowed them to continuously refine their technology.

Weak Genes and Small, Isolated Groups

Scientists also thought that Neanderthals lived in smaller groups compared to Homo sapiens. In one finding, archaeologists found that there was one Neanderthal named “Thorin” who lived with a group that was isolated for 50,000 years. It meant their tribe split off from the main or larger Neanderthal tribe, with little to no mixing for half a century.

This led them to a genetic bottleneck where there is not enough genetic diversity for a helpful mutation to occur. In other words, these smaller groups, like the one “Thorin” was in, were more vulnerable to diseases and birth defects because of inbreeding and a lack of genetic diversity.

Meanwhile, the modern human species was operating with larger numbers with greater genetic diversity. This is also thought to have prompted them to grow their brains to allow for communication, cooperation, and other complex behaviors necessary to their social and cultural environments.

Read more: Archaeology Magazine

Smart Genes and Stronger Communities

Decoding Neanderthals (2019) | Full Documentary | NOVA

The modern human species, which is thought to have originated in Africa, also mixed with different hominins. This includes Neanderthals when they met them during their migration out of Africa into Eurasia. They gave Homo sapiens some helpful genes, like boosted immune systems, and a few others, which did help us adapt to the new environments.

In short, Homo sapiens did not stay to themselves or their tribes, like a small group of Neanderthals. Rather, different groups split off, mixed with others, and have created a rich mix of genetic diversity. The modern humans’ patterns of interactions and expansion were significantly different from the other humans, and this may have fueled our species’ demographic success instead of the Neanderthals.

This article went through different reasons why Homo sapiens survived, and it is not because we are more intelligent than other human species, like Neanderthals. But, if you are still curious about how the extinction event of most hominins could have possibly happened, you can read this more in-depth article: Why Did So Many Other Human Species Vanish Around 50,000 Years Ago? — Here’s What Scientists Think Happened

Author's Final Thoughts

Neanderthals were once thought to be less smart than modern humans, but that is not the case anymore. They are no less intelligent than our ancestors who existed along with them thousands of years ago. They built tools, had families, and even some cultural practices.

But they lived in smaller groups, lacked the innovative speed of modern humans, and did not have a wide social network. This led to their genetic bottleneck, less ability to deal with diseases, and being outcompeted by a species who are far greater in number, and has genetic advantages and stronger connections. All of which contributed to a perfect storm of factors that helped us survive when Neanderthals did not.

Read next: Scientists Say Humans Evolved in Africa — But Here’s Why People Look So Different Around the World Today

References & Further Reading

Kochiyama, T., et al. (2018). Reconstructing the Neanderthal brain using computational anatomy. Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24331-0

Gilpin, W., Feldman, M., & Aoki, K. (2016). An ecocultural model predicts Neanderthal extinction. PLoS ONE. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4776499/

Peeters, S., et al. (2020). Neanderthals as familiar strangers and the human spark. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7374475/

Keskin, K., et al. (2022). An individual-based network model explains Neanderthal extinction. Theoretical Population Biology. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167268122002530

Shultz, D. R., Montrey, M., & Shultz, T. R. (2018). Comparing fitness and drift explanations of Neanderthal replacement. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.12397