Book Reviewed: The Naked Neanderthal: A New Understanding of the Human Creature by Ludovic Slimak

An exploration of our closest human relative The author presents a different perspective on neanderthal culture and society in this book. He emphasizes the importance of understanding neanderthals on their own terms, rather than solely through comparisons with modern humans. According to him, by analyzing the neanderthal into another human-like species is racism and based on prejudicial assumptions. Palaeobiological and archeological evidence show that both neanderthals and modern humans produced similar tools and ornaments, suggesting some cultural exchanges and parallel development of technologies. Recent research reveals that neanderthals and modern humans coexisted for extended periods, engaging in interbreeding and cultural interactions that shaped the evolutionary trajectories of these two species. Interbreeding between neanderthals and modern humans occurred between 60,000 to 40,000 years ago in Europe and Asia. This gene flow affected the genomes and biology of both species, with modern non-African human populations carrying about 2% neanderthal DNA. The author’s suggestion that scientific analysis focuses on subjective realities rather than a more objective perspective. His observations are far-fetched and unrealistic.