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Science Quickly

Archaeologist Makes a Case for Seafaring Neandertals

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.2639 Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2018

⏱️ 3 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ancient tools on Mediterranean islands could predate the appearance of modern humans—suggesting Neandertals took to the seas. Christopher Intagliata reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:05.8

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0:11.0

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0:19.6

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0:22.7

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0:33.5

This is Scientific American's 60-second science. I'm Christopher in Taliatta.

0:38.3

The more we learn about Neanderthals, the more like us they become. They made jewelry from shells and eagle talons.

0:45.3

They probably painted cave art. They may have buried their dead as well.

0:49.3

And now some archaeologists say evidence is mounting for yet another skill the Neanderthals might have shared,

0:55.5

the ability to navigate the seas.

0:57.6

And maybe that's just part of the human psyche of wanting to go and explore places.

1:03.0

And maybe that extends back further than we would have thought.

1:06.9

Alan Simmons of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

1:09.9

He presented his case at a meeting of the

1:11.5

Society for American Archaeology in Washington, D.C., first reported on in an article by journalist

1:17.1

Andrew Lawler in the journal Science. The case goes like this. Hundreds of stone tools have now

1:22.6

been found, lodged in ancient soils on Mediterranean islands like Crete and Noxos.

1:28.0

We can't date the tools directly.

1:29.8

They're too old for that.

1:31.2

But Simmons says you can put them into a rough chronology with other tools, based on their sophistication.

1:36.9

He compares it to car styles.

1:38.6

The tail fins of old Cadillacs, you know, you could syriate those and you could show, well, this is older than this or more

...

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