Becoming Human: Last Human Standing

"Last Human Standing." Becoming Human. PBS NOVA. 31 Aug. 2011. Television.


Why are we the last human standing? What happened to the other species such as Homo Neanderthalensis and Homo Heidelbergensis? Why are we the best of all homonids so far?


When Neanderthals roamed the planet, they had it all: The brain, the tools, the abilities of what we have physically...Or did they? 
What the Neanderthals had were basic thinking, rituals, some communication, and primitive tools. The weapons they had were heavy, they were big, they were short range, and you could only have around 4 at a time per person, while Homo Sapiens had just as effective weapons that were light, small, long range, 6-per-hand, and had tools to help throw them with accuracy. Because of this small difference in technology, most Neanderthals died of hunting too closely to the animals and getting fractures. Neanderthals also didn't look at the cycles in life as much as Homo Sapiens did, and so the main diet was meat. Any other foods would have specific times that would have to be met, or they wouldn't show themselves. This meant that while Neanderthals risked their lives getting food, Homo Sapiens only slightly risked their lives getting meat, and the rest was easy to get at due to what it was and when it showed. Muscles and shellfish show themselves in the morning, and in the late after noon when the tide is down. Homo Sapiens used this to their advantage, while Neanderthals didn't. 


Another reason that we are the last humans standing is that we survived and adapted in almost all ways possible, and that we opened up the world of communication. 


Communication enabled us to cooperate together better towards the same goals, there fore letting us go beyond the normal edges of abilities. With communication, we could share ideas, hunt in strategic ways and go beyond the shores. Neanderthals had the communication ability, but it was less advanced. We could be more specific and direct. Neanderthals? Not so much.


We all evolved. We all went through the same process of surviving. We all had our ups and downs. However, it it really survival of the fittest, and the smartest. Others? Well, if you can't survive, you die. Thats only a fraction of the Theory of Evolution. I wonder what else we can discover?