"Even 100,000 years ago, we've still got several human species on earth”, Professor Chris Stringer
Natural History Museum
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"One of the crucial elements of Homo sapiens' adaptations is that it combines complex planning, developed in the front of the brain, with language and the ability to spread new ideas from one individual to another.. "
Planning, communication and even trade led, among other things, to the development of better tools and weapons which spread rapidly across the population.
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The same advantages helped Homo sapiens outcompete another rival human, the Neanderthals, who died out about 30,000 years ago as the Ice Age limited available food supplies
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13874671