The originality of our Neanderthal ancestor was, it seems, to have a big nose to protect himself from the cold. This is a valid hypothesis. Fortunately he didn’t have all that!
After making us believe that Cro-Magnon man suffered from a hideous disease, when this was only an exception, a study published by the Royal Society Publishing drapes Neanderthals with a huge “snitch” supposed to protect him from the cold.
Let us recall that Neanderthals disappeared 35,000 years ago, but that we have 1 to 2% of its genetic heritage, a memory of the taste that some Homo Sapiens had for certain individuals of this very special race.
We have also kept this property of the nose. It is true that it is dangerous, even for the man of the 21e century, to breathe very cold air. Our body has done it right, allowing us to breathe through our noses as well. The air which enters the nasal cavities is humidified, purified by our hairs, but above all warmed by an impressive quantity of small vessels. Moreover, a good blow on the nose makes it possible to verify its richness in blood!
Shiver
But fortunately, there were other ways, which still remain valid: for example by shivering when it is cold. Our personal boiler is not a vulgar heating, but an ultra sophisticated central programmed to keep our temperature between 36.5 and 37.5 °. Heat regulation depends on an area located in the middle of our brain. If our temperature drops, this area sends nerve signals to our muscles to first perform piloerection (scientific term for “goose bumps”), then a contraction, this is called “shivering with cold” “. The purpose of these chills is to generate heat through our muscles. To heat up in case of cold, or to evacuate it in case of fever. Conversely, if the temperature rises, the nerve signals will give the order to dilate the blood vessels to lose heat, which has the consequence of making you blush and triggering sweating. So it’s as stupid when you go out in winter to cover yourself excessively in layers of clothes as it is to show off in a T-shirt.
But above all, there were animal hair and skins!
The hair system of these men was undoubtedly more effective than ours but on the whole insufficient. Hence the use of animal skins to be able to leave the relative heat of the caves. The ideal outfit is both the one that prevents us from shivering – because if we continue to shiver, the body is suffering – and the one that does not cause you to sweat. Although, probably, Neanderthals, male or female, was not sensitive to bad smells… despite his big nose.
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