The Neandertal Enigma

Although necessarily out of date, this book provides a good introduction to what was known about Neandertals at the time; the history is detailed, including details of the many controversies surrounding Neandertal society and human evolution. One thing that stands out loud and clear through the pages of this book is the problem that occurs in science when political correctness, whether the kind that assumes western Europeans must be superior or the kind that assumes all are inherently equal, becomes a guiding factor. The inability to envision a possible hypothesis because it offends your sensitivities is a weakness few scientists can afford, and some of the nonsensical twists and turns that try to fit inconvenient facts into your show more preferred theory are described in gory detail in this book. The author treats his subject, and the scientists, with affection and respect, and that helps him say the things he needs to say. In addition, he adopts an almost poetic prose in many places which serves his subject well. show less

This is three interwoven stories.

The first is the story of the Neandertals: who they were, what they did, where they came from and where they went, who were their predecessors, successors and neighbors, and what kind of world they inhabited. The field is continually refreshed by new archaelogical and genetic studies. The author, not a scientist but a writer, amasses and organizes the facts in an interesting and skillful way and writes rather well about the science. The approach is largely chronological, tracking the history of archaeological discoveries in the field. There is a very occasional clumsiness or loose end, but this story fascinated me, and I recommend it to anyone with a healthy curiosity about our humanness. These show more Neandertals, our cousins, survived and reproduced continually for a quarter million years through ice ages and other catastrophies until somehow disappearing about 35,000 years ago, after the appearance of fully moderm humans in Europe. We have yet a very long way to go to match that record of success.

The second story tells how the archaeological evidence was discovered and about scientists who collected and evaluate it. To anyone not familiar with the usual professional squabbles in any field or with the dialectic that characterizes good science, this second story should be instructive, even if the personalities don't always spring to life.

The third story tells of the author's experiences in meeting and interviewing the scientists. The writing here is unfortunate (in a published book) and seems different in character from the rest, as though the author had farmed out this descriptive task to a middling high schooler. No adjective, comma or figure of speech is safe. Editors may have failed the author in this regard. While you can scan some of it, your eye will catch an important word, and then you must go back and read again. This wears heavily on the patience. As the book proceeds, there is ever less of this writing. Anyway it takes up only the smaller part of the book.

Reduced to schillings and pence, how does it add up? Five stars for Story 1, three stars for Story 2, and one star for Story 3. So three stars. But forewarned is forearmed: if you are reading this, then two stars more, one more for the book and one for you. I could do with one, also, I'm sure.

I am glad I read the book. There is some new science since the book was published, but you can catch up on that: check Wikipedia for "Denisova hominin". The new evidence suggests, among other things, that Neandertals did mate with modern humans, contributing about 4% of their DNA to the modern but non-African human genome and further suggests that adaptive selective pressures may account for its retention. show less

The journalist surveys the existing literature and experts on what we know about Neandertal man and what happened to this species. It was fascinating that this species came to a dead end 30,000 years ago.

Thinking of becoming an anthropologist? Read something anthropological first...then pick anything else.

Solving the mystery of modern human origins

Archeology