Steven Rinella talks with authors Dimitra Papagianni and Michael A. Morse. Topics discussed: What we mean when we say “neanderthal,” taal v. thaal; 23andMe; human and neanderthal interactions; how language may have operated; cannibalism through the ages; neanderthal fashion; the limits of site excavation; and more. Connect with Steve and The MeatEater Podcast Network Steve on Instagram and Twitter MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Connect with Steve and The MeatEater Podcast Network: https://www.youtube.com/@MeatEaterPodcastNetwork Steve on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenrinella/?hl=en Check out the gear the MeatEater Crew uses in the field here: https://store.themeateater.com Follow us: Web: https://www.themeateater.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/meateater Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StevenRinellaMeatEater Chapters: 00:03:43 — What Actually Is a Neanderthal? Anatomy, Timeline, and Where They Lived 00:09:02 — What Your 23andMe Neanderthal Percentage Actually Means 00:14:48 — The Bottleneck: How Homo Sapiens Left Africa and Picked Up Neanderthal DNA 00:17:10 — How Did Humans and Neanderthals Actually Interact? 00:22:29 — Did Neanderthals Have Language? The Social Brain Hypothesis Explained 00:27:04 — The Dunbar Number: Why Your Brain Has a Hard Limit of 150 People 00:36:39 — Cannibalism: Neanderthals, Modern Humans, and a Cave in Belgium 00:41:40 — Organized Warfare Is Way More Recent Than You Think 00:52:46 — Clothing, Jewelry, and Eagle Talon Necklaces: How They Adorned Themselves 00:57:07 — Did Neanderthals Learn Jewelry and Tools From Modern Humans? 01:04:28 — Neanderthal Diet: The One Threshold They Never Crossed 01:11:22 — How Did the Neanderthals Actually Go Extinct? 01:15:40 — What Scientists Wish They Could Know About Neanderthals 01:23:02 — Will There Be a Fourth Edition? The Future of Neanderthal Research