Ancient remains reveal our 'fishman' ancestors

More than a dozen sets of extinct species of the genus who possess the characteristics of the fishermen who stirred the ocean.

The group of scientists led by Erik Trinkaus professor of anthropology from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri (USA) has gradually analyzed 77 ancient remains. Of these, 23 belong to the Neanderthals , another of us, of the same genus, extinct 30,000-50,000 years ago.

A strange thing is that half of the Neanderthals remains possessed of "surfer's ears" , a bone malformation that only appears in modern surfers, rowers .

Statue of wax Neaderthals - (photo: DAILY MAIL).

EAE "Ears of the Surf" (EAE) refers to the abnormal development of the ear canal, which occurs in people who are exposed too often to cold, wet, windy conditions ., which are not suitable for the condition. living of an ordinary person. Severe EAE may cause spasms, ear canal obstruction, increased risk of infection.

In our modern people, this phenomenon often occurs in "abstinence" too diligently to practice, mainly practicing in ocean conditions, playing strong water sports.

Only surfers, rowers . often have the other anomalies in the ear - (photo: DAILY TELEGRAPH).

In the ancient people, this feature shows that they can be good and dangerous "fishers" in the sea, many times dive into the sea, hunt for food. They also live in a cooler and more humid climate than previously expected.

Earlier, archaeologists believed that Neaderthals were cave warriors, living in the mountains and hunting large mammoths like food, mostly alive with meat. The new finding is very unexpected, showing that their diet is closer to our imagination.

A box of Neanderthals, containing strange features - (photo provided by the team).

As with most species of the genus, the Neanderthals are extinct. The entire genus of Human with the number of crowded ancient species has only one living species, Homo Sapiens, who are us - modern people.

But the Neanderthals did not completely disappear. Many studies over the last few years have revealed that countless heterosexual marriages have occurred between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals, making Neanderthals elements exist in many modern DNA. Another ancestor of this species is said to have a better physical and vertical standing than modern humans, who are fortunate to possess less of their DNA - mostly populations in Northern Europe - often with good resistance. more with some types of diseases.

The research has just been published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.