Neanderthals Revisited by Harvati, Katerina; Harrison, Terry;

Long description:

Recent years have witnessed exciting and important scientific breakthroughs in the study of Neanderthals and their place in human evolution which have transformed our appreciation of this group’s paleobiology and evolution. This volume presents cutting-edge research by leading scientists re-examining the major debates in Neanderthal research with the use of innovative state-of-the art methods and exciting new theoretical approaches.

Topics addressed include the re-evaluation of Neanderthal anatomy, inferred adaptations and habitual activities, developmental patterns, phylogenetic relationships, and the Neanderthal extinction; new methods include computer tomography, 3D geometric morphometrics, ancient DNA and bioenergetics. The diverse contributions offer fresh insights and advances in Neanderthal and modern human origins research.

This is a Volume in The Max-Planck-Institute Subseries in Human Evolution coordinated by Jean-Jacques Hublin, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Leipzig, Germany

Table of Contents:

Neanderthals revisited.- The distinctiveness and systematic context of Homo neanderthalensis.- Saccopastore 1: the earliest Neanderthal? A new look at an old cranium.- Inquiries into Neanderthal craniofacial development and evolution: “accretion” versus “organismic” models.- Neanderthals and modern humans — chimps and bonobos: similarities and differences in development and evolution.- Cranial growth models: heterochrony, heterotopy, and the kinematics of ontogeny.- Bioenergetic perspectives on Neanderthal thermoregulatory and activity budgets.- How different were Neanderthals' habitual activities? A comparative analysis with diverse groups of recent humans.- Neanderthal hands in their proper perspective.- Did Neanderthals make the Châtelperronian assemblage from La Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure, France)?.- The fate of European Neanderthals: results and perspectives from ancient DNA analyses.- Selection Selection on mitochondrial DNA and the Neanderthal problem.- Reliability of cranial morphology in reconstructing Neanderthal phylogeny.- Non-metric variation in recent humans as a model for understanding Neanderthal-early modern human differences: just how “unique” are Neanderthal unique traits?.- Earliest Upper Paleolithic crania from Mlade?, Czech Republic, and the question of Neanderthal-modern continuity: metrical evidence from the fronto-facial region.- Neanderthals and modern humans: an example of a mammalian syngameon?.- Speciation by distance and temporal overlap: a new approach to understanding Neanderthal evolution.- The Neanderthal-H. sapiens interface in Eurasia.