This isn't just a question of beauty. Scientists posited that
the big snouts could hold a clue to the world these primitive
hominids lived in, according to LiveScience. One theory was that
Neanderthals lived in bitterly cold conditions during the Ice
Age and the big nose helped warm the air as they breathed. New
research, however, suggests that idea may be all wrong. In a
paper published in the Journal of Human Evolution, Rae showed
that the Neanderthal sinus doesn't match the size of the nose --
meaning it probably didn't act as a warming unit. "Our findings
show that their sinuses were no larger, relative to the skull
size, than in Homo sapiens who lived in temperate climates," Rae
wrote, according to The Telegraph. "It suggests that
Neanderthals evolved in much warmer temperatures before moving
into Europe and then they moved south to avoid the glaciers."
Neanderthals lived in Europe and parts of Asia until about
28,000 years ago. They shared a common ancestor with Homo
sapiens, though the Neanderthal bran