Cenk Uygur
@TheYoungTurks·6.5M subscribers·72.8K videos
Humans vs. Neanderthals - Who Would Win? Archaeologists Weigh In
Posted
October 26, 2012
Views
88,407
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1,746
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October 26, 2012
88,407
1,746
1,194
3.33%
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6:56Now Playing"A team of archaeologists, paleoanthropologists, and paleoartists has created a more accurate Neanderthal reconstruction, based on a nearly complete skeleton discovered in France more than 100 years ago. The La Ferrassie Neanderthal man was short but stocky. If a modern man came nose-to-nose with a Neanderthal, could he take him in a fight?
Possibly. A Neanderthal would have a clear power advantage over his Homo sapiens opponent. Many of the Neanderthals archaeologists have recovered had Popeye forearms, possibly the result of a life spent stabbing wooly mammoths and straight-tusked elephants to death and dismantling their carcasses. Neanderthals also developed strong trapezius, deltoid, and tricep muscles by dragging 50 pounds of meat 30 miles home to their families. A Neanderthal had a wider pelvis and lower center of gravity than Homo sapiens, which would have made him a powerful grappler. That doesn't mean, however, that we would be an easy kill for our extinct relative. Homo sapiens probably has a longer reach, on average, than Neanderthals did, and more stamina. Most importantly, we could deploy these advantages to maximum effect using our superior wits. It's obviously speculative, but a modern man of above-average build would have an excellent chance of defeating a Neanderthal in hand-to-hand combat if he could keep his opponent at arm's length, survive the initial onslaught, and wear him down."* Archaeologists are offering their own insight on the issue. Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola (Host, TYT University) weigh in, and analyze how modern humans might fare against our other evolutionary neighbors.
*Read more from Brian Palmer/Slate:
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