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> TFA and our inferred history with them that they were terrifying apex predators All humans are. Neanderthals, Sapiens, modern humans, we are all apex predat

> TFA and our inferred history with them that they were terrifying apex predators All humans are. Neanderthals, Sapiens, modern humans, we are all apex predators. > occasionally raped human women The article doesn't suggest that. While it's plausible, there's also evidence of Sapien/Neanderthal cooperation and mingling: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260412071005.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260412071005.h... And lets not forget that all hominins fight amongst themselves, rape each other, etc... The assumption that Neanderthals were particularly brutish is just that, an assumption.

card_zero 6mo ago
There is however a suggestion here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal#Interbreeding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal#Interbreeding > According to Svante Pääbo, it is not clear that modern humans were socially dominant over Neanderthals, which may explain why the interbreeding occurred primarily between Neanderthal males and modern human females. Unless read as suggesting "Neanderthal males were hugely charismatic"?
- pegasus 6mo ago
  ...or "Neanderthal males were huge, thus charismatic" :)
- dismalaf 6mo ago
  In current-day interracial dating dynamics there are preferred race and gender combos and this is shown through lots of statistics. The answer isn't necessarily rape...