VOA慢速英语--研究表明:穴居人是艺术家

Study: Neanderthals Were Artists

Some of the world’s oldest cave art is too old to have been made by modern humans, researchers say.

Studies suggest that Neanderthals were responsible for creating cave drawings found in modern-day Spain. They also appear to have painted and cut holes in seashells for use as jewelry¹.

Reports on the studies were published in the journals² Science and Science Advances.

Neanderthals were related³ to Homo sapiens, the scientific name for modern human beings. Neanderthals lived in Europe and Asia before disappearing about 40,000 years ago. Around that time, scientists believe, Homo sapiens arrived in Europe from Africa.

New evidence, old theory

Researchers say the new studies provide evidence that the artwork was made about 20,000 years before modern humans came to Europe.

The findings⁴ were a surprise to Wil Roebroeks, an expert on Neanderthals. He said it represents “…a major breakthrough in the field of human evolution studies.”

Now, he said, Neanderthal “ownership of some cave art is a fact.”

Roebroeks, who was not part of either study, is a professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Collecting evidence

Until now, most scientists thought all cave paintings were the work of humans.

In the first study, researchers examined artwork in three caves in northern, southern and west-central Spain. They attempted to estimate⁵ the age of three paintings.

Modern technology has made it easier for scientists to date each painting. They used a process called the uranium-thorium method to estimate the age.

The scientists removed small pieces of rock material that had formed on the surface of the artwork, and studied them in a laboratory⁶. They found the cave art dates back to 64,000 years ago.

Dirk Hoffmann, of Germany’s Max Planck Institute, said the artwork is simple, but important for what it represents. He said one work is a collections of lines that look like a ladder; the others include red marks and rounded objects on rock formations⁷. Another painting is in the shape of a hand.

Making the image of the hand involves many steps, Hoffmann and the other researchers noted⁸. This led them to decide that it was a slow, thoughtful⁹ creation¹⁰.

The second study attempted to identify the age of shells that had been colored and cut in another cave in southeast Spain. Researchers studied rock that had formed above where the shells were found. Their investigation¹¹ found that the shells were around 115,000 years old. This is about 20,000 to 40,000 years older than comparable¹² artifacts linked to Homo sapiens. Those objects were found in Africa or Western Asia.

Researchers said the findings show that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens shared similar thinking. They said this suggests the two species¹³ were not all that different in their mental ability.

“Undoubtedly, it is showing Neanderthals were thinking and behaving just like modern humans,” said University of Southampton professor Alistair Pike. “We should no longer think of them as different species, just humans in different places,” he added.

Pike helped to prepare a report on the studies.

Some experts have yet to be persuaded by the findings. Harold Dibble, an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania, studies Neanderthal behavior. He wondered if the coloring and holes in the seashells could have happened naturally. He also said he would like to see the dating on the cave artwork confirmed by another lab.

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

artifact - n. a simple object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past?

drawing - n. a picture, image, etc., that is made by making lines on a surface with a pencil, pen, marker, chalk, etc., but usually not with paint?

evolution - n. a theory that the differences between modern plants and animals are because of changes that happened by a natural process over a very long time?

ladder - n. a device¹⁴ used for climbing that has two long pieces of wood, metal, or rope with a series of steps or rungs between them?

species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

1 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

2 journals   

n.（某学科或专业的）杂志( journal的名词复数 )；期刊；日志；（用于报纸名）…报

参考例句：

• Which journals does the library subscribe to? 图书馆订有哪些报刊？
• This short story was published by two journals of repute. 这篇短篇小说由两种著名的杂志刊出。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

4 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

5 estimate   

n.估计，估量；评价，看法；vt.估计，估量

参考例句：

• We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
• The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at ＄200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。

6 laboratory   

n.实验室，化验室

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
• Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。

7 formations   

n.形成( formation的名词复数 )；构成；形成物；编队

参考例句：

• Clouds are formations of condensed water vapour. 云是由凝聚的水蒸气构成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• New word formations have not regularity. 新词的构成没有规律。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 thoughtful   

adj.思考的，沉思的，体贴的，关心的

参考例句：

• She is thoughtful for her friends.她很体贴她的朋友们。
• This is a thoughtful essay.这是一篇具有思想性的随笔。

10 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 comparable   

adj.相似的，同类的，可比的，比得上的

参考例句：

• A fire is comparable with the sun,both give light and heat.火可以和太阳相比，两者都可以发光发热。
• No horse has a speed comparable to that of his.没有一匹马的速度能比得上他的马。

13 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

14 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。