A stone-age meeting of minds

Studies to determine the reasons for the extinction of the Neandertals and the prosperity of Homo sapiens indicate a contrast in their mental abilities, cognitive functions and working memory. While Neandertals did not make any innovative tools or alter their basic hunting equipment over the years, Homo sapiens had developed mathematical abilities and may have devised memory aides. Some theories point towards genetic mutations in both these species that caused an advanced evolutionary change in Homo sapiens and improved their working memory. The FOXP2 gene, the mutation of which causes severe problems in language comprehension and articulation, underwent some unique changes in evolution and is better expressed in Homo sapiens, which could also be a possible reason behind their evolution and prosperity.