New Study Suggests Neanderthal Cognition Fell Within Modern Human Range

A team of researchers used deformation mapping to reconstruct the inner surfaces of Neanderthal skulls and estimate the volumes of more than a dozen brain regions. Comparing these estimates with those of modern individuals of Han Chinese and European descent, they found that variation between the two modern populations exceeded the differences between Neanderthals and today’s humans. The authors conclude that any intelligence gap was modest, placing Neanderthals comfortably within the spectrum of modern human cognitive functioning.

Scientific American

Deformation mapping, the technique employed, creates digital models of cranial interiors to infer regional brain volumes. The approach builds on a 2018 deformation-mapping study that reported a smaller cerebellum in Neanderthals—a region linked to language, memory, and other cognitive tasks. While the method is acknowledged as “far from a perfect way to deduce internal brain anatomy,” it currently offers the best possible proxy in the absence of preserved Neanderthal brain tissue.

Scientific American

Anthropologist Tom Schoenemann, lead author, emphasizes that the results do not support a large cognitive disparity and suggests that Neanderthals likely merged with Homo sapiens through interbreeding, their genes absorbed into a larger population. University of Tokyo biomechanics researcher Naomichi Ogihara, co-author of the 2018 study, concurs that genetic “swamping” contributed to Neanderthal disappearance but argues that even a slight average cognitive difference could have evolutionary significance over many generations.

Scientific American

Schoenemann notes that the idea of a meaningful intelligence gap “is not supported by the vast majority of recent research,” highlighting a broader scholarly disagreement about the evolutionary impact of modest neuroanatomical differences. The reliance on indirect skull reconstructions also leaves uncertainty about the precise functional implications of the observed volume variations.

Scientific American

• “I don’t think we would detect a difference if they were around today,” — Tom Schoenemann, Anthropologist, Indiana University Bloomington

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• “I think they would fit comfortably within the range of cognitive functioning that we see among modern humans.” — Tom Schoenemann

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• “possibly the best we’ll get,” — Tom Schoenemann (regarding deformation mapping)

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• “Deformation mapping is far from a perfect way to deduce internal brain anatomy, he says, but as provisional results, the new findings indicate, at most, a modest intelligence gap between modern humans and Neanderthals.” — Tom Schoenemann

Scientific American

• “Even a small average difference in cognitive or behavioral tendencies could have evolutionary significance over many generations,” — Naomichi Ogihara, Biomechanics Researcher, University of Tokyo

Scientific American