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关于尼安德特人的10个令人惊讶的事实

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2019年08月19日

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10 surprising facts about Neanderthals

关于尼安德特人的10个令人惊讶的事实

The misconception of Neanderthals as stooped, brutish, hairy and dumb comes primarily from our preconceived notions. Indeed, even the first skeletal reconstruction of a Neanderthal, which was hunched and bent at the knees, turned out to be the result of French paleontologist Macellin Boule using bones from an old male Neanderthal with severe arthritis blended with Boule's expectation that Neanderthals were more apelike than human-like.

对尼安德特人驼背、粗野、多毛和愚蠢的误解主要来自我们先入为主的观念。事实上,即使第一个尼安德特人的骨骼重建,缩成一团,膝盖弯曲,原来是法国的结果古生物学家Macellin议会利用老男尼安德特人的骨头患有严重关节炎与议会混合的期望,尼安德特人比人类更像猿猴。

Neanderthals were more like us than many people realize. (Photo: Procy/Shutterstock)

But research from 2018 shows this long-held belief that Neanderthals are hunched-over brutes is wrong. An international team of scientists analyzed the skeleton of a Neanderthal man using CT scans and discovered the spine was straighter than that of modern-day humans. Also, the skeleton had a wider, lower thorax and a horizontal-shaped rib cage — suggesting Neanderthals had a greater lung capacity and breathed primarily using their diaphragm. Therefore, researchers concluded Neanderthals had better posture and breathed differently than humans.

但2018年的研究表明,长期以来认为尼安德特人是驼背野兽的观点是错误的。一个国际科学家团队利用CT扫描技术分析了一名尼安德特人的骨骼,发现他的脊柱比现代人的脊柱更直。此外,这具骨架有一个更宽、更低的胸腔和一个水平状的胸腔——这表明尼安德特人有更大的肺活量,主要通过横膈膜呼吸。因此,研究人员得出结论,尼安德特人姿势更好,呼吸方式也与人类不同。

Additionally, a team from the University of Zurich’s Evolutionary Morphology Group discovered in January 2019 that Neanderthals had a curved lower back and necksimilar to humans. Researchers used a computer model to reconstruct a Neanderthal's posture and also uncovered that they had a sacrum, a bone between the hip bones, just like humans too.

此外,来自苏黎世大学进化形态学小组的一个团队在2019年1月发现,尼安德特人有着与人类相似的弯曲下背部和颈部。研究人员使用计算机模型重建了尼安德特人的姿势,同时发现他们也有骶骨,髋骨之间的一块骨头,就像人类一样。

Even though we now know the errors in thinking that went into that first reconstruction, it still went a long way toward setting the stage for our "primitive" cousin. However, it turns out that Neanderthals were smart, strong, capable cousins who were far more like humans than you might suspect.

尽管我们现在知道了第一次重建过程中思维上的错误,但在为我们的“原始”表亲搭建舞台方面,仍有很长的路要走。然而,事实证明尼安德特人是聪明、强壮、能干的表亲,他们比你想象的更像人类。

We know this because of several facts that have come to light in recent decades, and these discoveries are changing the old but persistent falsehood that Neanderthals were our dumb, lesser cousins. Turns out they were the equals of modern humans in many ways. Here are a few things you might not know.

我们之所以知道这一点,是因为近几十年来,一些事实浮出了表面,而这些发现正在改变尼安德特人曾是我们愚蠢的近亲的古老而又顽固的错误观念。事实证明,他们在很多方面与现代人是平等的。下面是一些你可能不知道的事情。

1. Neanderthals buried their dead and left grave markers.

尼安德特人埋葬他们的死者并留下墓碑。

A reconstruction of a Neanderthal who lived some 50,000 years ago, by Italian scientist Fabio Fogliazza. (Photo: Cesar Manso/AFP/Getty Images)

2. Neanderthals were artists.

尼安德特人是艺术家。

This ladder-shaped drawing from La Pasiega cave in Spain, featuring horizontal and vertical red lines, was made by Neanderthals more than 64,000 years ago. (Photo: P. Saura)

3. Neanderthals knew how to control fire.

尼安德特人知道如何控制火。

Evidence from Neanderthal tools and living sites show they had controlled the use of fire. (Photo: Alexandr Shevchenko/Shutterstock)

4. Neanderthals were extremely skilled hunters.

尼安德特人是技艺高超的猎人。

This flint spearhead, made by a Neanderthal roughly 35,000 years ago, was found near a mammoth skeleton in France. (Photo: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images)

5. Neanderthals shared genetic traits with woolly mammoths.

尼安德特人与长毛猛犸象有共同的基因特征。

Woolly mammoths were a key source of food and resources for Neanderthals. (Photo: Flying Puffin [CC SA 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

6. Humans didn't wait long to breed with Neanderthals.

人类没过多久就与尼安德特人繁衍后代。

7. Mating with Neanderthals was bad for our health.

与尼安德特人交配对我们的健康有害。

A modern human skull (left) compared with the skull of a Neanderthal. (Photo: hairymuseummatt [CC SA 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

8. Neanderthals looked after sick and elderly family members.

尼安德特人照顾生病和年老的家庭成员。

A recreation of a Neanderthal on display at the Natural History Museum in London. (Photo: Paul Hudson [CC by 2.0]/Flickr)

9. Neanderthals had loud, high-pitched voices.

尼安德特人有响亮的高音。

10. Neanderthals faded amid climate change and 'species drift.'

尼安德特人在气候变化和“物种漂移”中逐渐消失。

Romania's Rodna Mountains were once home to Neanderthals, and stalagmites from caves in this region are helping scientists study the role of climate change in the species' extinction. (Photo: Gavrila Stetco [CC SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons)


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