By popular request from scads of readers:
Was Neanderthal man the original metrosexual? New study suggests he wore make-up
That's in The Daily Mail. I actually like the window title even better, which I assume was an older draft of the story's headline:
Neanderthal 'make-up' discovered: Proof the human subspecies were not the 'half-wits'?
It's like something from the Onion. The story is more or less reasonable, and I love the quote at the end:
Professor Chris Stringer, a palaeontologist from the Natural History Museum in London, supported the findings but added that the view of Neanderthals as 'dim-wits' would be hard to change.
He said: 'I agree that these findings help to disprove the view that Neanderthals were dim-witted. It's very difficult to dislodge the brutish image from popular thinking.
'When football fans behave badly, or politicians advocate reactionary views, they are invariably called "Neanderthal", and I can't see the tabloids changing their headlines any time soon.'
Well, let's see how many of those football fans are wearing makeup!
