What if neanderthals never went extinct?

[Techno-Druid]

Neanderthals and humans were a separate species, however they interbreed over the course of thousands of years and eventually the Neanderthals disappeared. This would indicate that we were the same species, however the Neanderthal genome has been studied and we know they were a different species. We could also find that they genetically had the same vocal cords as humans and a finding in the throats of our common ancestor indicated that Neanderthals probably had the same vocal cord setup.

So what if Neanderthals never went extinct?

[Rhine101]

We would probably treat them like a mix between minorities and foreigners. Cause you know, we would have probably done the same to them like we did with every indigenous population in eh world.

They may have reservations and some reparation program.

[Techno-Druid]

Maybe they evolved into yetis, like Scooby Doo hypothesized many years ago.

I don't think yetis look like Neanderthals

[Kaleredar]

I don't think yetis look like Neanderthals

How would you know? Have you ever seen either of them?

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

I was going to make a racist comment that would have been funny, but I decided to take the highroad.
It would be pretty nuts if Neanderthals never went extinct. I agree wholeheartedly.

[Techno-Druid]

How would you know? Have you ever seen either of them?

We know enough of the Neanderthal and common sense in evolutionary terms to suggest they looked like humans. They lacked large amounts of body hair (like apes) to run down prey in the similar fashion humans did/do.

[MauroDiogo]

We'd be making TV reality shows about their lives.

Oh wait...!

[Abajaba]

We'd treat them like natives and foreigners, as has been stated already. Another way to put it is: We'd treat them exactly as we did when they were alive. We mated with, went to war against, and ate them.

It's super fascinating what gave us our edge, too. We generate spheres of learned information outside first hand experience. Because our young take so long to grow, we spent an inordinate amount of time educating. School is what outmoded the Neanderthal and I love it. They grew up faster than us and were roughly the same intelligence, but we spent more time thinking and, importantly, sharing what we thought.

I love my species.

[Techno-Druid]

We'd be making TV reality shows about their lives.

Oh wait...!

How dare you insult Neanderthals like that! One creatures deserves to be compared to that... thing!

[Rhine101]

We'd treat them like natives and foreigners, as has been stated already. Another way to put it is: We'd treat them exactly as we did when they were alive. We mated with, went to war against, and ate them.

We ate them!!!!! Whoah

I can't imagine eating anything I'd also have sex with. That is just weird. (All eating girls puns aside...nasty )

I think we need a superior human being to compete with us and get us on track. It seems like the collective thinking of the human race has slowed.

[Deleted]

Neanderthals and humans were a separate species, however they interbreed over the course of thousands of years and eventually the Neanderthals disappeared.

Only to point out, if two species interbreed and get fertile viable offspring they are the same species, but different subgroups. The aboriginal are the most remote genetically of humans, so if pure-Neanderthals was still alive in "modern" time they will probably be treated like the aboriginal first very racist, then a effort to "civilized" them and in the end treat them as indigenous people.

[Kaleredar]

We'd treat them like natives and foreigners, as has been stated already. Another way to put it is: We'd treat them exactly as we did when they were alive. We mated with, went to war against, and ate them.

It's super fascinating what gave us our edge, too. We generate spheres of learned information outside first hand experience. Because our young take so long to grow, we spent an inordinate amount of time educating. School is what outmoded the Neanderthal and I love it. They grew up faster than us and were roughly the same intelligence, but we spent more time thinking and, importantly, sharing what we thought.

I love my species.

I'm not so sure how rigorous the academic curriculum of homo sapiens was back in 50,000 BC.

[Calzaeth]

We ate them!!!!! Whoah

I can't imagine eating anything I'd also have sex with. That is just weird. (All eating girls puns aside...nasty )

I think we need a superior human being to compete with us and get us on track. It seems like the collective thinking of the human race has slowed.

So what you're saying is that you pay no attention to medical and technological advances whatsoever?

On Topic: They went extinct, mostly thanks to us. I haven't gone deeper into the subject than what elementary school covered, but they died to a combination of sickness and being in the way of us.

[ChaosEater]

We ate them!!!!! Whoah

I can't imagine eating anything I'd also have sex with. That is just weird. (All eating girls puns aside...nasty )

I think we need a superior human being to compete with us and get us on track. It seems like the collective thinking of the human race has slowed.

Really now, we need a Homo superior to make things interesting!

[Kaleredar]

So what you're saying is that you pay no attention to medical and technological advances whatsoever?

On Topic: They went extinct, mostly thanks to us. I haven't gone deeper into the subject than what elementary school covered, but they died to a combination of sickness and being in the way of us.

Neanderthals interbred with homo sapiens. We didn't "roundly annihilate them."

[Xeranath]

There are some theories that the Neanderthals interbred with homo sapiens. Some scientists believe they tracked down some villages in Eastern Europe who's inhabitants have some small traces of Neaderthal genes in them.

[Tumble]

If you think neanderthals went extinct, you've never worked in customer service.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Really now, we need a Homo superior to make things interesting!

[ChaosEater]

See, that guy in the yellow diaper gets it!

On a serious note though, from an evolutionary position it is damn interesting to think about whatever may be our next step.

[minteK917]

There is no next step, thats not how evolution works. Its not something with predetermined stages or goals. Evolution is a slow process brought by necessity. Our final evolution trait, our massive intelligence to build technology answers all our possible necessity in the future. Homo Sapiens has virtually not changed in about 200000 years. The only changes we had is in our increasing usage of tools, its more and more theorized that its more logical that we simply cannot evolve anymore since we pretty much stopped all form of need from ourselves. There is no need to evolve when a species has attained perfect survival. Humans are not the only exemple of this, many ancients animals still exist and remains largely unchanged, lack of predator/need to adapt, since their survival is assured in their current form.