In the early 20th century, paleoanthropologists interpreted the oft-profound differences between specimens of an expanding human fossil record as reflecting taxonomic and evolutionary diversity. Why, then, in the 1940s, did geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky reconfigure human evolution into one, profoundly morphologically variable lineage which changed slowly through time?
Neanderthals: Fact, Fiction, and Wishful Thinking exposes, for
the first time, the history of how conceptions of race have configured interpretations of the first-found human fossils; how assumptions underlying human fossils were and still are interpreted as to species and
their evolutionary relationships.
No matter how "different" Nazis thought living humans were, differences between Neanderthals and bigger-browed, chunkier-faced specimens and living humans trivialized the differences between living humans. In 1950, without basis, taxonomist Ernst Mayr lumped all fossil and extant humans into three transforming species of genus Homo: transvaalensis> erectus> sapiens; sapiens subsumed humans, Neanderthals, and even
less morphologically sapiens-like specimens. In 1962, at a Wenner-Gren Foundation meeting, participants-mostly geneticists and behaviorists, unfamiliar with the human fossil record-voted to keep these specimens, Neanderthals,
and humans in Homo sapiens.
Even when Neanderthals were returned to species neanderthalensis, the assumption remained: humans and Neanderthals interbred. When a Neanderthal nuclear DNA sequence was cobbled together and compared to human nDNA, molecular anthropologists could claim humans received "genes" identified in Neanderthal DNA via interbreeding. In its press release, the Committee that awarded Svante Paabo the Nobel Prize for "demonstrating"
human inheritance of Neanderthal "genes" made clear that his claims were predicated on assuming Neanderthal-human interbreeding.
Established perspectives continue to shape how paleoanthropologists and
molecular anthropologists interpret human evolution, particularly in relation to Neanderthals. Media coverage often simplifies these interpretations further when presenting them to an interested, but naive, audience. Neanderthals aims to counter this received wisdom.
Industry Reviews
"With his decades of learning and expertise, paleontologist Jeffrey Schwartz pushes back against media headlines that [Neanderthals] were "just like us" as he takes a bold stance against the thesis DS including by Svante Paabo - of Paleolithic interbreeding. Beyond the battle between morphology and molecules, Schwartz expertly leads us through the history of taxonomy and evolutionary theory from Darwin to the "Modern Evolutionary Synthesis" to
paleogenomics... he shows how received wisdom born of post-war anti-racism has misshaped our understanding of hominid diversity..." -- Peter Sahlins, author of Neanderthals Among Us
"This is a fascinating and deeply thought-provoking book about Neanderthals and about how scientific narratives are constructed and sustained. Drawing on decades of work in comparative morphology, genetics, and the history of paleoanthropology, Jeffrey Schwartz revisits some explanations that have acquired authority through repetition. At a time when genetic data are increasingly treated as the ultimate arbiter of human origins, he challenges readers to
reconsider some of the most widely accepted assumptions in paleoanthropology. Provocative, engaging, and intellectually stimulating, this book encourages a fresh look at one of the most influential narratives
about our evolutionary past." -- Lumila Menendez, University of Vienna and University of Costa Rica
"Schwartz shines a laser onto the history of how we study the fossil evidence for human evolution, showing the main figures and events that have shaped our views of our evolutionary past. With forensic detail, he shows how grouping specimens into major categories, such as Australopithecus and Homo, excludes alternative ways of viewing the evidence. This penetrating analysis should be read by all those involved in classifying fossil hominins and make them
question the soundness of their assumptions in reaching their conclusions. In Schwartz's view, the fossil evidence is far more complex (and interesting) than we are prepared to admit. This is a "must read"
for researchers studying human evolution." -- Robin Dennell, University of Sheffield
"Schwartz is one of those rare scholars who doesn't just lob bombs-he brings receipts. His characteristic wit shines as he dissects the tainted pemmican of current human evolutionary thinking into its component parts-history, genetics, and morphology. With a taxonomist's attention to detail, he painstakingly delineates how engrained assumptions and bias arose and continues to shape our understanding of our place within nature and our relationship with our
supposed closest relatives-Neanderthals. Even if you don't give a Neanderthal's double-arched brow about human evolution, you should read this book-if only to discover how much history shapes scientific
thinking." -- Kate MacCord, Arizona State University
"Jeffrey Schwartz-arguably one of the most experienced palaeoanthropologists in the handling of human fossils-presents a provocative challenge to one of the central narratives of human evolution... he argues that Neanderthals were neither our ancestors nor even our closest evolutionary relatives. What? This conclusion runs counter to the prevailing view, repeated in countless books and scientific papers, that Neanderthals were our closest cousins who interbred
with modern humans, leaving a lasting legacy in our genomes. Schwartz builds his case through a meticulous examination of the history of palaeoanthropology, tracing how human fossils have been
classified from the nineteenth century to the present." -- Michael Petraglia, Griffith University, Australia
