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In this article, I first provide an overview of the Neandertals by recounting their initial discovery and subsequent interpretation by scientists and by discussing our current understanding of the temporal and geographic span of these hominins and their taxonomic affiliation. I then explore what progress we have made in our understanding of Neandertal lifeways and capabilities over the past decade in light of new technologies and changing perspectives. In the process, I consider whether these advances in knowledge qualify as so-called Black Swans, a term used in economics to describe events that are rare and unpredictable and have wide-ranging consequences, in this case for the field of paleoanthropology. Building on this discussion, I look at ongoing debates and focus on Neandertal extinction as a case study. By way of discussion and conclusion, I take a detailed look at why Neandertals continue to engender great interest, and indeed emotion, among scientists and the general public alike.

Klappentext: War der reale Sozialismus als Praxis kommunistischer Ideologie ein Verbrechen? Oder eine soziale Vision, die nur schlecht umgesetzt wurde? Noch 20 Jahre nach dem Ende des größten gesellschaftlichen Experiments der Geschichte eskalieren diese beiden Extremstandpunkte in einen öffentlichen Glaubenskrieg. Auch Wissenschaftler flüchten sich bei den bislang eher dürftigen Erklärungsversuchen in Allgemeinplätze wie "Unrechtsstaat" oder versuchen selbst zunächst die notwendigen Fragen zu formulieren. Autor Rainer Höll stellt sich in seiner essayistischen Schrift folgenden Fragen: Wie und warum ist die Idee des Kommunismus entstanden? Welche Ziele, wessen Interessen verfolgte dieser? War er eine weltfremde, gar verbrecherische Vision? Warum konnte in vielen Ländern die Umsetzung begonnen werden und jahrzehntelang existieren? Entsprach der reale Sozialismus den ursprünglichen Zielen des Kommunismus? Was ist entscheidend für die Beurteilung, ist es das Ziel oder sind es die Herrschaftsmethoden? Konnte also der Zweck die Mittel heiligen? War der Zweck wirklich heilig oder waren die Mittel ein Selbstzweck? Mit vielen interessanten Thesen füllt der Autor die Lücke einer bisher fehlenden integrierenden Position, die von der Entstehungsgeschichte des realen Sozialismus ausgeht, ihm positive Impulse auf die Menschheit ebenso zugesteht wie sie die Notwendigkeit seines Scheiterns anerkennt. Ihm gelingt durch genaue Kenntnis des Systems der Spagat, den realen Sozialismus in das Neandertal der Geschichte zu argumentieren, ohne dessen Anhänger ihrer persönlichen Würde zu berauben - ein Beitrag zur Versachlichung der Diskussion.

Neandertals disappeared from the fossil record around 40,000 bp, after a demographic history of small and isolated groups with high but variable levels of inbreeding, and episodes of interbreeding with other Paleolithic hominins. It is reasonable to expect that high levels of endogamy could be expressed in the skeleton of at least some Neandertal groups. Genetic studies indicate that the 13 individuals from the site of El Sidrón, Spain, dated around 49,000 bp, constituted a closely related kin group, making these Neandertals an appropriate case study for the observation of skeletal signs of inbreeding. We present the complete study of the 1674 identified skeletal specimens from El Sidrón. Altogether, 17 congenital anomalies were observed (narrowing of the internal nasal fossa, retained deciduous canine, clefts of the first cervical vertebra, unilateral hypoplasia of the second cervical vertebra, clefting of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, diminutive thoracic or lumbar rib, os centrale carpi and bipartite scaphoid, tripartite patella, left foot anomaly and cuboid-navicular coalition), with at least four individuals presenting congenital conditions (clefts of the first cervical vertebra). At 49,000 years ago, the Neandertals from El Sidrón, with genetic and skeletal evidence of inbreeding, could be representative of the beginning of the demographic collapse of this hominin phenotype. ; This research was supported by a grant from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (CGL2016-75-109-P and Convenio Principado de Asturias–Universidad de Oviedo CN-09–084). L.R. was founded by the Juan de la Cierva program (Spanish Government) and thanks Asier Gómez-Olivencia for providing Neandertal and modern human metric data for the second cervical vertebra and for the discussion of several aspects of the hominin cervical spine. A.E. is founded by the Juan de la Cierva program (Spanish Government). Y.Q. received support from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia Project N° CGL2015-65387-C3-2-P, MINECO-FEDER and a Predoctoral Grant, University of Burgos. T.L.K is funded by the HP7 European Research Council Starting Grant #336301. ; Peer reviewed

We thank the entire El Sidrón excavation team and other members of the Paleoanthropology Group of MNCN-CSIC. This research was supported by a grant from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (CGL2016-75-109-P and Convenio Principado de Asturias–Universidad de Oviedo CN-09–084). L.R. was founded by the Juan de la Cierva program (Spanish Government) and thanks Asier Gómez-Olivencia for providing Neandertal and modern human metric data for the second cervical vertebra and for the discussion of several aspects of the hominin cervical spine. A.E. is founded by the Juan de la Cierva program (Spanish Government). Y.Q. received support from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia Project N° CGL2015-65387-C3-2-P, MINECO-FEDER and a Predoctoral Grant, University of Burgos. T.L.K is funded by the HP7 European Research Council Starting Grant #336301.

Abstract
Lumbar lordosis is a key adaptation to bipedal locomotion in the human lineage. Dorsoventral spinal curvatures enable the body's center of mass to be positioned above the hip, knee, and ankle joints, and minimize the muscular effort required for postural control and locomotion. Previous studies have suggested that Neandertals had less lordotic (ventrally convex) lumbar columns than modern humans, which contributed to historical perceptions of postural and locomotor differences between the two groups. Quantifying lower back curvature in extinct hominins is entirely reliant upon bony correlates of overall lordosis, since the latter is significantly influenced by soft tissue structures (e.g. intervertebral discs). Here, we investigate sexual dimorphism, ancestry, and lifestyle effects on lumbar vertebral body wedging and inferior articular facet angulation, two features previously shown to be significantly correlated with overall lordosis in living individuals, in a large sample of modern humans and Neandertals. Our results demonstrate significant differences between postindustrial cadaveric remains and archaeological samples of people that lived preindustrial lifestyles. We suggest these differences are related to activity and other aspects of lifestyle rather than innate population (ancestry) differences. Neandertal bony correlates of lumbar lordosis are significantly different from all human samples except preindustrial males. Therefore, although Neandertals demonstrate more bony kyphotic wedging than most modern humans, we cast doubt on proposed locomotor and postural differences between the two lineages based on inferred lumbar lordosis (or lack thereof), and we recommend future research compare fossils to modern humans from varied populations and not just recent, postindustrial samples.