Scientists Build 'Frankenstein' Neanderthal Skeleton
Scientists Build 'Frankenstein' Neanderthal Skeleton | Live Science
see picture here (with credits and color coding info)
Anthropologists have built a "Frankenstein" Neanderthal skeleton, the first and only full-body reconstruction of the species. The result, announced today, is a shape no one expected.
La Ferrassie 1 was missing its rib cage, pelvis, and a few other parts ... Kebara 2 was previously known as the specimen with the best rib cage, pelvis, and vertebral preservation... similar, if not identical, in size to the La Ferrassie man ...
"The biggest surprise by all means is that they have a rib cage radically different than a modern human’s rib cage," said Sawyer. "As we stood back, we noticed one interesting thing was that these are kind of a short, squat people. These guys had no waist at all — they were compact, dwarfy-like beings."
Many here will know of my pet theory that neanderthals are the actual (pre)historic basis for the myths about dwarfs and trolls and ogres -- different enough from
homosap in appearance (and probably in behavior) that mating would not likely be considered (reproductively isolated).
questions abound. is this valid science or is it sensationalism? has no one really done this before? weren't neanders supposed to be bigger? will this skeleton of "Ferrassie-Kebara" man significantly change how we think of neanderthals?
Enjoy.
ps -- "Human Origins" forum methinks.