
Neanderthals built cave structures – and no one knows why - auza
http://www.nature.com/news/neanderthals-built-cave-structures-and-no-one-knows-why-1.19975
======
jeremysmyth
_The researchers have so far found no remains of early humans, stone tools or
other signs of occupation, but they think that Neanderthals made the
structures, because no other hominins are known in western Europe at that
time. “So far, it’s difficult to imagine that it’s not human made, and I don’t
imagine any natural agent creating something like that,” Hublin agrees._

This is pretty much the same argument as "We don't know what's occluding that
star, so it must be ALIENS."[0], or most of the speculation around sailing
stones[1]. If you don't know what made them, and there's no evidence (other
than that they exist), then you _cannot say_ what caused them.

[0] [http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34926314/nasa-may-
have...](http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34926314/nasa-may-have-solved-
the-alien-superstructure-mystery)

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones)

~~~
brudgers
I agree the surface logical structure is similar. On the other hand there is a
lot of evidence that geologically recent hominids build structures, manipulate
fire, and can live in caves. One of the advantages of this theory is that it
could more readily be verified by the discovery of artifacts nearby in the
deep underground than a theory about a phenomenon light years distant.

