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Neanderthals on Trial
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Program Overview
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Scientists present a wide variety of evidence, and its interpretation over time, in an ongoing debate over Neanderthals' place in
evolution.
The program:
describes the changing view of Neanderthals over the last 150 years and illustrates the different interpretations that scientists have held over this time period.
follows the debate of whether Neanderthals were ancestors of Homo sapiens, or the result of a separate evolutionary path.
documents an analysis of Neanderthal DNA, which supports the idea that Neanderthals were not direct ancestors of modern humans.
introduces arguments from those who believe that Neanderthals and moderns were separate species and could not interbreed, making Neanderthals an evolutionary dead end; and those who believe that Neanderthals and moderns were members of a single species that did interbreed, giving Neanderthals a role in the ancestry of modern humans.
illustrates the subjective nature
of interpreting archeological sites by detailing the errors of past interpretations of artifacts found
in a French cave.
reveals modern excavation
techniques of the French cave
site and interpretations of the
artifacts there.
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