Customer Reviews

Neanderthals and Modern Humans: An Ecological and Evolutionary Perspective (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology)

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This is a very scholarly and technical book. Be prepared for pages of charts and computer projections. But it is also a very refreshing book because the author is willing to follow the scientific evidence wherever it leads, and to disregard the previously established consensus which was based on incomplete research.

The case the author builds for his theory that there was minimal human-Neanderthal contact, and that Neanderthal extinction was caused by inability to adapt to unstable climatic conditions is quite impressive. I was especially interested in the author's review of climate changes during the Pleistocene. His research is so complete that it may also be relevant to the current global warming debates. Any serious criticisms of his theory or major revisions to it will need new and compelling evidence.

The book ends on an unnecessary negative note, "That we are here today is the end result of a series of chance events...It could easily have gone the other way." In fact C S Lewis and other Christian writers have long ago put to rest the notion that there is an inherent contradiction between evolution and the Christian message. The last paragraph could easily have been omitted, but the rest of the book is must reading for anyone interested in the subject of Neanderthal extinction.