But new evidence suggests that modern humans evolved relatively recently in Africa – and that the transformation that they underwent after their departure some 60,000 years ago was far from seamless. Specifically, studies of Homo sapiens’ close but extinct relatives, the Neanderthals, are revealing new facets of modern human development, while intensifying the long-running debate over the differences between the two species’ behavioral capabilities.
但新证据表明，现代人进化于相对晚近的非洲——且他们在约60 000年前分化之后所经历的改变并非连续。具体地说，对智人已灭绝的近属尼安德特人的研究正在揭示关于现代人类发展的新剖面，进一步加剧了关于这两个物种行为能力差异的由来已久的争论。