Why am I asking you to read this? Because most people don't know anything about them. Also, Christians often find themselves in conversations about evolution that include subjects like this.
Someday, when talking about evolution, you might be tempted to say something like, "people were created by God, they didn't evolve from Neanderthals!" But that's only because you didn't read item #9 on the list:
Recent DNA studies have found that the Neanderthals
are a distinct evolutionary line – a line which was ultimately
a dead end as they all died out around 30,000 years ago...
are a distinct evolutionary line – a line which was ultimately
a dead end as they all died out around 30,000 years ago...
I'm not asking you to buy into every theory regarding Neanderthals and you are perfectly welcome to decide that they never existed - there's nothing wrong with that. The theories could change in ten years for all I know.
But, knowing what is generally believed to be true about these strange hominids will keep you from looking like a fool when the discussion arises. Those who wish to reconcile their faith with the findings of science will also benefit from this because otherwise they would be trying to reconcile their misconceptions - a strategy that can only fail.
