Did Neanderthals Speak? Breakthrough Study Suggests Our Ancient Cousins Could Talk

Did Neanderthals speak? Explore the evidence and theories surrounding the communication abilities of Neanderthals.

By Donna Sarkar
Mar 25, 2021 1:00 PMJul 17, 2023 3:51 PM
Depiction of Neanderthals communicating around a fire
(Credit: Gorodenkoff/Shuterstock)

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The linguistic abilities of Neanderthals, the closest ancestors to modern humans, have been largely debated. A new study helps settle the decades-long debate with evidence in favor of team Neanderthal.

Researchers at University of Binghamton in New York State and Universidad de Alcalá in Spain recently discovered that Neanderthals did indeed have similar auditory and speech capacities to modern-day humans. The conclusion was reached after various CT scans and 3D models of the ear structures of both Neanderthals and modern humans.

The findings indicate that we may share more similarities with Neanderthals than scientists previously thought.

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