'Homo sapiens is too arrogant: Call us Homo faber, the toolmaker'

Modern humans are not superior to earlier human species. It is thanks to our predecessors such as Neanderthals that we are who we are today. Marie Soressi is a Professor of Archaeology.

The image of simple Neanderthals has changed a lot in recent decades. This human species, which is thought to have disappeared 40,000 years ago after giving us some genes, was considered to be less intelligent than modern humans. Since the publication of the neanderthal genome in 2010, we have discovered that we all have a piece of neanderthal DNA. According to Soressi, some of the old genes help boost our immunity and fight disease. She has had her own genetic testing and it shows that she has four percent Neanderthal DNA, which is double the average for Europeans.

Outdated classification.

The discovery was published a few years ago in PNAS. Neanderthals used a bone knife with a polished side for working animal hide. Leatherworkers still use lissoirs today. Neanderthals were able to use fire to keep the landscape open and bend it to their will, according to a team of professors. Soressi argues that the insights force us to change our thinking about the classification of human species.

The approach is postcolonial.

Soressi argues for a postcolonial approach, which she says will make us less arrogant towards earlier humans because it no longer puts us in a superior position. She and a group of colleagues published an article in Nature on ethics in DNA research on human remains.

Human identity is more than one.

How should we relate to the past? The metaphor of a tulip bulb is that it consists of several layers, and each layer is necessary for the tulip to bloom. Our internal envelope signaling who we are as individuals is similar to our external envelope signaling who we are from.

There is one important difference. We use the same number of objects in a single day that a person used 5,000 years ago, objects that are only available in limited amounts. Realizing how linked we are with nature helps us to better understand what we have in common with all other humans, and all other living beings on planet Earth.

Citation: 'Homo sapiens is too arrogant: Call us Homo faber, the toolmaker' (2022, May 16) retrieved 16 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-homo-sapiens-arrogant-faber-toolmaker.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.