The Search for Neanderthal

In 1856, workmen in a cave in the Neander valley near Dussseldorf, Germany, unearthed a human skeleton. Its skull had a low, protruding brow, large teeth, and a massive bone structure. And from this discovery began a lengthy dispute: did the Neanderthal man represent an abnormal modern human? Or an extinct ancestor? Unintentionally, the workmen began the longest ongoing controversy in the search for the origins of modern humans. Today, archaeologists search for clues about Neanderthals in hopes of determining if these remarkable people deserve a place in our direct ancestry. By examining Neanderthal bones and reconstructing fossilized skeletal remains, scientists are beginning to find answers to these important questions.