How we won out over the 'cavemen'

Two opposing hypotheses have vied to explain the relationship of Neanderthals to Homo sapiens . One proposed that Neanderthals were an archaic variety of our species that either evolved into or was assimilated by modern Homo sapiens . The other hypothesis proposed that Neanderthals were a separate species, Homo neanderthalensis , that were eliminated when modern humans entered their territory.