Neanderthals had the spine straighter than modern humans: study

Neanderthals may have greater lung capacity and a spine that is straighter than us, scientists say, contradicting the widely held view that ancient humans were cavemen folded over them. same

. from Washington to the United States completed the first 3D virtual reconstruction of the chest cavity of the most complete Neanderthal skeleton discovered to date.

They focused on the thorax – the area of ​​the body containing the rib cage and upper spine, which forms

The researchers were able to create a three-dimensional model of the thorax with the help of a fossil scanner of a male skeleton aged about 60,000 years, known as Kebara 2.

which may have been a straight individual with greater lung capacity and a spine more upright than modern humans.

"The shape of the thorax is essential to understand how Neanderthals have moved in their environment We are aware of their breathing and their balance," said Asier Gomez-Olivencia, from the University of the Basque Country in Spain.

Neanderthal movements would have had a direct impact on their ability to survive with the resources they had, said Patricia Kramer, a professor at the University of Washington.

"Neanderthals are closely related to us, they have complex cultural adaptations very similar to those of modern humans, but their physical form differs considerably from us," said Kramer. ] "Understanding their adaptations allows us to better understand our own evolutionary journey," she said.

Neanderthals are a type of human that emerged about 400,000 years ago and lives mainly from what is now Western Europe to Central Asia.

These were hunter-gatherers who lived in caves in some areas and who survived several ice ages before extinguishing it about 40,000 years ago.

Studies conducted in recent years have suggested that Neanderthals and Arly Homo sapiens have crossed paths, because evidence of Neanderthal DNA has been found in many populations.

Vertebrae, ribs and bones of the pelvis, as well as 3D software designed for scientific use.

"It was a painstaking job," said Alon Barash, senior lecturer at Bar Ilan University in Israel.

"We had to examine each vertebra by computed tomography, and then used a technique called morphometric badysis to compare images of Neanderthal bone with medical scans of adult male bones. Today [19659002] "In the process of reconstruction, it was necessary to" cut "and virtually realign some of the pieces with distortion and reflect some of those that were not so well preserved so to obtain a complete thorax, "said Gomez. -Olivencia.

The reconstruction of the thorax shows ribs that connect to the spine inward, forcing the chest cavity towards the & iv encia encia [[[[[—-outsideandallowingthespinetotiltslightlybackwardswithverylittleofthelumbarcurvethatispartofthestructureofthemodernhumanskeleton

"Differences between the human thorax Neanderthals and the modern human thorax are striking, "said Markus Bastir, principal investigator at the National Museum of Natural History of Spain.

"The Neanderthal spine is located deeper in the thorax, which provides more stability.Also, the thorax is wider in its lower part," said Gomez-Olivencia.

This form of thoracic cage suggests a wider diaphragm and therefore greater lung capacity.

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