Neanderthal Brain Differences | Infant-Directed Communication

Join biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana and astrophysicist Hugh Ross as they discuss new discoveries with theological and philosophical implications that point to the reality of God’s existence.

Who were the Neanderthals? How do they fit into the biblical account of human origins? Were they image-bearers like us? Or were they “soulish” animals? In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana details how recent work by researchers from the UK on the origin of Chiari type 1 malformations (brain abnormalities) offers insight into these questions.

Also in this episode, Hugh Ross explains field experiments that provide further evidence of human exceptionalism—highlighting infant-directed communication as a unique tool for rapid, complex language acquisition. Unlike great apes, adult humans use specialized gestures, sign language, and acoustic and structural verbal features when communicating with their infants. As a result, human infants can easily distinguish between adult and infant-directed communication. Moreover, they receive significantly more infant-directed input than their great ape counterparts, further accelerating their linguistic development.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Evolutionary Hypothesis for Chiari Type I Malformation
• A Test of the Archaic Homo Introgression Hypothesis for the Chiari Malformation Type I
• The Evolution of Infant-Directed Communication: Comparing Vocal Input Across All Great Apes