I asked ChatGPT if Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, and Cro-Magnons could live in the present day?
Answer:
Short answer: Yes — they could physically live in the present day, though with different levels of challenge and adaptation.
Here’s the breakdown:
Homo sapiens (us)
Already here — nothing special needed.
Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis)
If a Neanderthal were alive today:
Biologically
They were fully human relatives with:
Robust bodies adapted to cold climates
Large brains (often slightly larger than ours)
Stronger bones and muscle mass
They would be able to breathe our air, digest our food, and survive pathogens similarly to us (though some diseases might hit them harder).
Behavior & cognition
Neanderthals made tools, controlled fire, buried their dead, made art, and had symbolic behavior.
Cognition was different, but not “primitive.”
Could they live today?
Yes, with:
Early-life exposure to modern culture and language
Medical care for immune weaknesses
Social support for adapting to a complex technological world
A Neanderthal raised from infancy in a modern human family would likely function similarly to a modern person.
Cro-Magnons
“Cro-Magnon” doesn’t mean a separate species — it refers to the earliest European Homo sapiens (around 40k–10k years ago).
They were:
Anatomically modern humans
As intelligent as us
Physically strong and well-adapted to harsh environments
Could they live today?
Absolutely.
If you gave a Cro-Magnon baby a modern upbringing, they’d be indistinguishable from any other child.
They were us.
Overall Answer
Could all three live today?
✔ Homo sapiens: Already alive
✔ Neanderthals: Yes, biologically compatible with modern Earth
✔ Cro-Magnons: Yes — they were modern humans
Biggest challenges for Neanderthals
Cultural/language adaptation
Possible immune system differences
Social acceptance due to physical differences
But nothing biologically prevents them from living in the modern world.
That would be an awesome situation. A whole different history intertwined.
The Miss Universe pageant might be a little hairy.
