4 ms·

That there are none left besides the limited interbreeding mark in our genetics could be seen as evidence.

• the_af 4y ago
  Very limited evidence, if at all. It's not true that more intelligent animals cannot be outcompeted by less intelligent ones.
• sacrosancty 4y ago
  How so? That they weren't intelligent enough to keep their genes pure? Couldn't they have been dominant but also a minority so they were willingly diluted away? I wonder if the Neanderthal genes we have are more from men or women? Perhaps that would show which direction any conquest and raping happened in.
• causi 4y ago
  Neanderthal extinction isn't evidence they were dumber than us any more than the Native American genocide is evidence Native Americans are dumber than Europeans.
• Symmetry 4y ago
  That's evidence but weak evidence and I think group size is a more likely culprit (we really ought to be homo gregalis rather than homo sapiens). That means a conflict between a group of sapiens and neanderthalensis is more likely to go the sapiens's way. But also the secret of our success is that we're so good at cultural transmission and evolution. And when the children of a tribe can learn from the best of 20 instead of the best of 6 hunters you get both a higher level of skill and more rapid cultural innovation around techniques.