The answers may lie in the shape of the brains rather than the size.4 Neanderthals dedicated a much larger proportion of their brains to visual input and had a smaller cerebellum than humans. The cerebellum has, in the last generation, become recognized as an important area of the brain for cognition, and researchers believe humans may have had a greater ability to think on their feet, problem-solve, and in short, be cognitively flexible compared with Neanderthals. Cognitive rigidity is fine until new challenges arise. New challenges require adaptability, and Neanderthals eventually met a
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