Neanderthals could speak

 

 

 

“As well as archaeological artefacts, researchers also point to similarities

in their vocal anatomy with modern humans and their known cognitive abilities. Neanderthals had larger brains, on average, than modern humans and while

this doesn’t mean they were necessarily smarter, it does suggest they were

a highly intelligent species - just like us”.

 Will Newton

 

  

This comes as no surprise whatsoever to me (Damien Mackey).

See e.g. my articles:

 

Neanderthals need to be re-written

 

(5) Neanderthals need to be rewritten

 

Messing with the Neanderthals

 

(5) Messing with the Neanderthals

 

See also Dr. Jack Cuozzo’s book:

 

And, again:

 

New Shocking Discovery About Neanderthals Changes EVERYTHING!

 

Recent discoveries have revealed that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in the mid-Middle Paleolithic Levant not only coexisted but actively interacted, sharing technology, lifestyles, and burial customs. These interactions fostered cultural exchange, social complexity, and behavioral innovations, such as formal burial practices and the symbolic use of ochre for decoration. The findings suggest that human connections, rather than isolation, were key drivers of technological and cultural advancements, highlighting the Levant as a crucial crossroads in early human history.

 

We read at:

They interbred – but could humans and neanderthals actually talk to each other? | Discover Wildlife

 

They interbred – but could humans and neanderthals actually talk to each other?

 

Our ancestors lived alongside Neanderthals for nearly 200,000 years [sic], often interbreeding with them. But could they understand one another?

….

Will Newton

 

Published: May 25, 2026 at 2:46 am

---

 

We might be the only species of human alive today, but just a few hundred thousand years ago [sic] there were a handful of different species living across the world.

 

The Neanderthals were one of these species, and … they’re our closest cousins.

 

….

 

How closely related are we to Neanderthals?

 

It was long thought that we (Homo sapiens) evolved from Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) and that these stocky ‘almost-humans’ were a transitional phase between chimpanzees and modern humans. This ‘March of Progress’-style image is often how our evolutionary history is depicted, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

• "They wore clothes, wielded fire, and created art; they may have even been smarter than us..." Just who were our closest cousins?
• Is the human race truly one species or the lovechild of various prehistoric hook-ups? Just how interbred are we?

 

Instead, modern humans and Neanderthals are sister species that evolved from the same common ancestor [sic], diverging from one another roughly half-a-million years ago. As a species, Neanderthals emerged earlier than modern humans, roughly 400,000 years ago compared to 300,000 years ago, but it wasn’t until 130,000 years ago that ‘classic Neanderthals’ really appeared.

….

Regardless of who this common ancestor was, genetic studies show that Neanderthals are our closest relatives and share up to 99.7% of our DNA. These similarities run so deep that some suggest Neanderthals may actually represent a subspecies of Homo sapiens and should be renamed Homo sapiens neanderthalensis.

 

Could Neanderthals speak?

 

The linguistic ability of Neanderthals has long been debated. From their discovery in the mid 19th century until quite recently, they were often portrayed as dim-witted ‘cavemen’, their communicative abilities thought to be limited to grunts and simple gestures.

….

 

It’s clear from the wealth of archaeological artefacts left by Neanderthals alone that this was simply not the case. The discovery of clothes, jewellery, weapons, and sophisticated homes crafted by Neanderthals paint a picture of people who could not only communicate, but collaborate and even create art.

 

As well as archaeological artefacts, researchers also point to similarities in their vocal anatomy with modern humans and their known cognitive abilities. Neanderthals had larger brains, on average, than modern humans and while this doesn’t mean they were necessarily smarter, it does suggest they were a highly intelligent species - just like us.

 

In order to find out just how well Neanderthals could speak, a team of researchers from the University of Iowa examined their genetic code for genomic regions known as ‘human ancestor quickly evolving regions’, or HAQERS. These aren’t genes, rather sequences that affect how and when certain genes are expressed, and they’ve been shown to have a large effect on human language development.

 

What these researchers found as part of a study published in April, 2026, surprised them. Neanderthals not only had HAQERS, but they were even more prominent than those found in humans today ….

 

If that was the case, and Neanderthals were capable of language, surely they could have found ways to communicate with the humans they bumped into - right?

 

Could humans and Neanderthals communicate?

 

It’s clear, based on the genetic evidence, that humans and Neanderthals regularly ‘bumped’ into one another - in more ways than one…

 

In 2010, researchers successfully sequenced the Neanderthal genome and discovered that modern humans of non-African descent carry roughly 2% Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. Some populations carry even more: the proportion in East Asian populations can be as high as 4%!

 

This genetic evidence proves that humans and Neanderthals interbred quite regularly, and suggests some may have even lived together in mixed groups. The individuals living in these mixed groups, nurturing and raising hybrid offspring, must have been able to communicate to some degree. ….