Friends,
Since paleoanthropologists can't agree on what brought about the mysterious disappearance of the Neanderthals, it appears economists have decided to take a turn.
Did Use of Free Trade Cause Neanderthal Extinction?
Newswise — Economics-free trade may have contributed to the extinction of Neanderthals 30,000-40,000 years ago, according to a paper published in the “Journal of Economic Organization and Behavior.”
“After at least 200,000 years of eking out an existence in glacial Eurasia, the Neanderthal suddenly went extinct,” writes University of Wyoming economist Jason Shogren, along with colleagues Richard Horan of Michigan State University and Erwin Bulte from Tilburg University in the Netherlands. “Early modern humans arriving on the scene shortly before are suspected to have been the perpetrator, but exactly how they caused Neanderthal extinction is unknown.”
Creating a new kind of caveman economics in their published paper, they argue early modern humans were first to exploit the competitive edge gained from specialization and free trade. With more reliance on free trade, humans increased their activities in culture and technology, while simultaneously out-competing Neanderthals on their joint hunting grounds, the economists say.........
The economists say more. The entire press release from Univ. of Wyoming can be read at:
CLICK HERE The article in Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (or as the press release reads, "...Economic Organization and Behavior") can be accessed at:
CLICK HEREI have this paper, but I really can't say I've thoroughly read and digested the details.
Dar
