3D model and virtual reconstruction of the ear in a modern human (left) and the Amud 1 Neandertal (right). Credit: Mercedes Conde-Valverde
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Neanderthals â the closest ancestor to modern humans â possessed the ability to perceive and produce human speech, according to a new study published by an international multidisciplinary team of researchers including Binghamton University Associate Professor of Anthropology Rolf Quam and graduate student Alex Velez.
âThis is one of the most important studies I have been involved in during my career,â said Quam. âThe results are solid and clearly show the Neanderthals had the capacity to perceive and produce human speech. This is one of the very few current, ongoing research lines relying on fossil evidence to study the evolution of language, a notoriously tricky subject in anthropology.â