Differentiating science from pseudoscience
This exercise concerns contemplating what it means to be human in evolutionary terms and whether we would seem so distinctive if other species of our genus were still living, such as Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis). The latter contributed some genetic material and perhaps behavioral adaptations to fully modern humans (H. sapiens.) This exercise also concerns differentiating science from pseudoscience. There is a considerable amount of the latter circulating on the web and promulgated by some media outlets.
The first step is to read Who were the Neanderthals? Links to an external site. written by Lisa Hendry of the Natural History Museum in London. This article presents some basic scientific evidence and informed inferences about Neanderthals learned in the past decade or two. The second step in this exercise is to read the article “How Human Are We?” Download “How Human Are We?” written by Nicholas Longrich at the University of Bath, in which he considers how traits we think of as human may have been shared by other hominins. The third aspect is to critique how the pseudoscientist Danny Vendramini portrays Neanderthals in his book Them and Us: How Neanderthal Predation Created Modern Humans? You do not have to purchase and read his book (please don’t waste good money!). NOTE: His website seems to have been taken down. As a result, I’m linking here to Download a summary of his argument.
Neanderthals were probably not exactly like you or me, yet the more that science learns about them the less distinct they seem to be. Nonetheless, Vendramini portrays them as dramatically different and predatory. After reading the articles and reflecting on what you have learned from the textbook, lectures, and other science-based materials, please write a response that accomplishes the following:
- A reasoned critique of Vendramini’s Neanderthal Predation “theory Download theory.”
- Present your views about what it would be like if Neanderthals hadn’t gone extinct.
Your report should be no more than 2 pages double-spaced (Times, Arial, or similar 12-point font), with 1″ margins all around, name in the header right justified page number in footer center bottom.
