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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:
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describes the changing view of Neanderthals over the last 150
years and illustrates the different interpretations that
scientists have held over this time period.
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follows the debate of whether Neanderthals were ancestors of
Homo sapiens, or the result of a separate evolutionary
path.
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documents an analysis of Neanderthal DNA, which supports the
idea that Neanderthals were not direct ancestors of modern
humans.
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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.
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illustrates the subjective nature of interpreting archeological
sites by detailing the errors of past interpretations of
artifacts found in a French cave.
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reveals modern excavation techniques of the French cave site and
interpretations of the artifacts there.
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