What do you think of when you read the word Neanderthal? For some, it means an unintelligent civilization. For researchers at University College London, it means they were prolific spear hunters. Using a team of javelin throwing athletes, and era-specific spear recreations they discovered our ancient ancestors could kill at 20 meters, or just shy of 22 yards. The spears were hand made from Norwegian spruce trees and weighed 760 and 800 grams, the equivalent to roughly 2 NFL footballs. This research helps shows why the Neanderthals were able to live for 300,000 years. Fascinating research like this is ongoing and updates will be provided as they come.
What do you think, could you throw an 800-gram spear 22 yards and kill a deer?
