omissions in the article.
Right at the start, Longrich is incorrect in putting Neanderthals (HN) exclusively in Europe. They ranged from Iberia in SW Europe to the eastern Mediterranean region of western Asia, northern Africa, into central Asia, and as far as central Siberia. Modern humans, including Native Americans, have some degree of HN DNA due to their widespread range and intermating. The exception is sub-Saharan Africa because HN evolved from Homo erectus (HE) outside of Africa.
Longrich then says the "related Denisovans" were in Asia while "more primitive" HE lived in Indonedia. ALL of these variations of early humans were related because they ALL descended from HE, some of whom remained in Africa when other HE left to spread far and wide. HE continued to evolve, both in and out of Africa, producing many offshoots who could and did interbreed when they encountered each other. Denisovans (HD) are more closely related to HN than to other HE offshoots, but all HE descendants were related enough to interbreed.
HD interbred with HN in Asia, but HD was not exclusive to Asia. They were also in Indonesia and, I believe, Melanesia. The "more primitive" HE in Indonesia were also evolving, because that is what HE did. We do not have fossils of a distinctly separate HE offshoot in Indonesia, but to call them "more primitive" has no foundation.
Longrich says that Homo rhodesiensis (HR) was in Africa. HR was named for an African fossil and evolved in Africa from HE, but had a number of variations often identified together as Homo heidelbergensis (HH). HH or HR is a likely direct line ancestor of HS (Homo sapiens -- us), but not yet firmly established in the fossil record.
Longrich references the brain size of HN to suggest that they had near HS intelligence. HN's brain case was actually larger than ours, so by Longrich's standards, we are a step down in intelligence from HN. However, brain size alone does not determine intelligence. Proportion to overall body size is a factor and there are other biological factors involved with HN and brain size. But this association of HN and HS intelligence, combined with Longrich's earlier, incorrect placement of HN in Europe exclusively is part if an old, debunked racial supremacy belief of superior European intelligence. It was part of an old, now disproved belief that modern humans evolved in Europe as direct descendants of HN and all other humans are inferior unless they have some European genes from modern intermarriage.
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