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 Do
you know how early humans lived? Neanderthals are one of the ancient
species before modern humans. They are believed to have lived as early
as 600,000 to 350,000 years ago. They were shorter than modern humans,
and had bigger heads and noses.
Neanderthals were hunters and gatherers. They used stone tools and
bone needles. But how could they communicate? It has long been a mystery
if Neanderthals could speak like modern humans. But recently, scientists
discovered a clue!
An international team of scientists studied a Neanderthal’s fossilized
throat bone to learn if Neanderthals could speak. The scientists found
a hyoid bone from within the throat bone. The hyoid bone is a horseshoe-shaped
structure in the neck, and it is an important part for speaking. The
scientists studied the throat bone using 3D x-ray imaging and computer
modeling. The computer modeling showed that the throat bone worked
with other surrounding bones. This means that there is a high possibility
that Neanderthals could have spoken like modern humans.
 “Many would
argue that our capacity for speech and language is among the most
fundamental of characteristics that make us human. If Neanderthals
also had language then they were truly human, too,” said Stephen Wroe,
from the University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
Can you picture Neanderthals speaking like us? It’s so intriguing
to imagine what language they spoke! |
Senior
staff reporter Christine Kim
(christinekim@timescore.co.kr)
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