FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!

**Martijn (admin)** Fri Nov 05, 2010 12:48 am

Hand bones of a Neanderthal.

Researchers from Canada & England presented yesterday (11-03-2010) new findings about the history of human kind - based on the hands of Neanderthals!! The researchers describe that Neanderthals' social behavior was more competitive & promiscious than us today. And guess what? This conclusion comes from finger length ratios in the fossil hand bones of Neanderthals, and early members of the human species!

This story generated quite a buzz on my 'digit ratio'-blog: over 9.000 page views in just two days! You can find many more details in my blog-report about this new study, see:
FINGER RATIOS: The Neanderthal life was dominated by competition & promiscuity!

But I also would like to recommend this review of the study:
• Can fingers point to sex habits?
• Neanderthals had a naughty sex life

A few numbers from the results (quote):

• Modern humans averaged a 0.957 index-to-ring finger ratio, and were considered to be on the line between a "pair-bonded," or monogamous, species and a middle-of-the-road species.
• Chimps, gorillas and orangutans had index-to-ring ratios in the 0.90 to 0.92 range, and were classified as "non-pair-bonded," or promiscuous.
• An early modern human from Israel's Qafzeh Cave, thought to be about 95,000 years old, had an index-to-ring ratio of 0.935. Based on that statistic, the researchers surmised this individual would be more promiscuous than modern humans.
• The finger bones from five Neanderthals yielded a 0.928 ratio, associated with even greater competitiveness and promiscuity. Ardipithecus' bones took it up another notch, to 0.899. Two even older primate ancestors, Hispanopithecus and Pierolapithecus, had ratios of 0.848 and 0.908, which means they would have been tough to live with as well.
• On the other end of the spectrum, the monogamous gibbons had a 1.009 ratio ... and the australopith sample came in with a ratio higher than that of modern-day humans (0.979). The implication, then, is that australopiths were monogamous.

Now... thinking

... how about your '2D:4D digit ratio'?

Do you have Australopith-like high '2D:4D digit ratio'? Or you have a Neanderthal-like low '2D:4D digit ratio'?

Anyone

PS. If you might want to read a little more about how finger length ratio is used by online matchmaking companies, I recommend the article: Cupid's science

FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous! 552551812_52fbec036d

FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous! 552551812_52fbec036d

**Martijn (admin)** Wed Nov 10, 2010 4:52 pm

However... there is at least one big 'catch', which is not described in the considerations of the reseachers:

In the perspective of genetics, bonobos are known as the most 'human-like' primate species - which is also confirmed by their finger length:

For, last year researchers reported that the '2D:4D digit ratio' of bonobos is in between the 'human digit ratio' and the 'chimpanzee digit ratio':Bonobos have a more human-like second-to-fourth finger length ratio (2D:4D)

However... bonobos are known for using sex to alleviate social conflict, and therefore they display MORE 'promiscuous' behavior than for example the chimpanzee.

Additionally, one should evaluate these considerations in the perspective that around the world researchers have discovered three-way relationships between finger length and... skin color + marriage systems.

John Manning writes in 'The Finger Book' (page 93):

"Figure 7.1:

Marriage systems influence skin colour. This graph illustrates the effect on skin colour of increasing competition among men for wives. Marriage systems such as polyandry and monogamy are associated with weak competition for wives, low levels of early testosterone, high immune competence, female-type finger ratios, and little need for an anti-microbial barrier (melanin) in the skin. There are white skinned-peoples. Very black-skinned peoples have intense polygyny, which often includes capture of wives, and is associated with high-levels of early testosterone, low immune competence, ''Casanova-type" finger-ratios, and a need for melanin in the skin as an anti-microbial barrier."

FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous! Skin-c10

FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous! Skin-c10

**tap** Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:55 pm

Using the premise that skin color plays a role with the need for melanin in the skin as an anti-microbial barrier would anyone take into consideration freckles on the hand as they are caused by abnormal collections of melanin pigmenta. I know there are some who take notice of freckles and some that do not in hand analysis. Sorry if this is off topic here.

**zaobhand** Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:54 pm

A link that addresses the "antimicrobial properties of melanin" in case this concept was new to anyone (new to me.. ):
http://books.google.com/books?id=As1eHSlUIggC&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=melanin+antimicrobial+barrier&source=bl&ots=bZVq4COPNm&sig=afEPbFal1k1tnS6eCZnKVf3likc&hl=en&ei=kPTbTNeQFoaKlwfzvPjbCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=melanin%20antimicrobial%20barrier&f=false

**Martijn (admin)** Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:10 am

A related, very detailed article considering '2D:4D digit ratio' and 'hand index' (including hand data from people today AND from people living in prehistoric times):

"Sexual dimorphism in Upper Palaeolithic hand stencils - Dean R. Snow"

SUMMARY:

Sexual roles in deep prehistory are among the most intriguing puzzles still to solve. Here the author shows how men and women can be distinguished by scientiﬁc measurement in the prints and stencils of the human hand that occur widely in Upper Palaeolithic art. Six hand stencils from four French caves are attributed to four adult females, an adult male, and a sub-adult male. Here we take a step closer to showing that both sexes are engaged in cave art and whatever dreams and rituals it implies. Keywords:France, Upper Palaeolithic, cave art, handprints, gender studies

FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/42274806/Hand-Stencils-D-Snow

Patti Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:01 am

Martijn (admin) wrote:

However... bonobos are known for using sex to alleviate social conflict, and therefore they display MORE 'promiscuous' behavior than for example the chimpanzee.

"Make love, not war."

Words to live by, even more historic than the 60's lol!

Sponsored content

FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!

FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!

Re: FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!

Re: FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!

Re: FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!

Re: FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!

Re: FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!

Re: FINGER LENGTH SHOWS: Neanderthals were more competitive & promiscuous!