Month: February 2025

Hominids – A broader category that includes great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans) and their ancestors, along with humans.

Hominins – A taxonomic group that includes modern humans, their direct ancestors, and close relatives after diverging from chimpanzees.

Fossil – The preserved remains, impressions, or traces of ancient organisms, including bones, teeth, and footprints.

Palaeoanthropology – The scientific study of ancient human ancestors through fossils, artifacts, and environmental evidence.

Last Neanderthals – The final populations of Neanderthals, thought to have lived in small isolated groups in southern Europe before extinction.

Paleogenetics – The study of ancient DNA to reconstruct evolutionary relationships between archaic humans and modern humans.

Neanderthal Adaptations – Physical traits such as robust bodies, large nasal cavities, and short limbs that helped Neanderthals survive in cold climates.

Cultural Exchange – The possibility that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals shared knowledge and technologies.

Assimilation Hypothesis – The idea that Neanderthals were not fully replaced but rather absorbed into Homo sapiens through interbreeding.