1. Extinction of our Last Rivals, Homo Neanderthalensis Levi Johnston

2. Hypothesis Models What led to the extinction of Homo Neanderthalensis? – Disease Model – Interbreeding Model – Genocide Model – Competition Model

3. Disease Model Wolff & Greenwood Cannibalism – Kuru Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies – “Mad Neanderthal Disease”

4. Interbreeding Model R.E. Green, et al. Human- Neanderthal hybrid European ancestry – Up to 4% genomic similarity

5. Genocide Model Competitive disadvantages – Shorter legs – Larger joints Friction – Thicker bones Heavier http://mathildasanthropologyblog.wordpress.com

6. Competition Model

7. Extinction Human Population Trap Coexistence Renewable Resources Neanderthal Population Competition Model J.R. Faria

8. Conclusion nothing inevitable “There was nothing inevitable about the triumph of the Moderns, and a twist of Pleistocene fate could have left the Neanderthals occupying Europe to this day.” -Dr. Stringer & Dr. Gamble

9. Bibliography Faria, J. R. 2000. What happened to the Neanderthals? – The survival trap. Intl. Review for Social Sciences. 63:151-172. Green, R. E., et al. A draft sequence of the Neanderthal genome. Science. 328:710-722. Smith, F. H., I. Jankovic, and I. Karavanic. 2005. The assimilation model, modern human origins in Europe, and the extinction of Neandertals. Quaternary Intl. 137:7-19. Stringer, C., and W. Davies. 2001. Those elusive Neanderthals. Nature. 413:791-792. Tattersal, I., and J. H. Schwartz. 1999. Hominids and hybrids: The place of Neanderthals in human evolution. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 96:7117-7119. Wolff, H., and A. D. Greenwood. 2010. Did viral disease of humans wipe out Neandertals?. Medical Hypotheses. 75:99-105.