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How did the body proportions of Neanderthals help them survive cold climates?
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Neanderthal
Artist's rendering of Homo neanderthalensis, who ranged from western Europe to Central Asia for some 100,000 years before dying out approximately 30,000 years ago.
Neanderthals were a cold-adapted group of archaic humans whose physical structure provided significant protection against cold stress.1
Their body build was characterized by a broad chest and relatively short lower limb extremities compared to their upper arms and legs. This compact, massive, and heavily muscled physique helped minimize heat loss and protected their extremities from damage in the harsh, unforgiving environments of the Pleistocene Epoch.12