Neandertals were humans with rickets (Talk.Origins)

Claim CC051.1:


 * Neanderthals were modern humans with rickets.

Source:
 * Lubenow, Marvin L., 1992. Bones of Contention: A creationist assessment of the human fossils. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, pp. 149-156.

CreationWiki response:

First of all, the wording of the claim misrepresents what Lubenow actually said. Yes, he suggests rickets as a possible cause of Neanderthal and Homo erectus morphology, but at least for Neanderthals it was limited to childhood where most bone development occurs. However he also points to the extensive evidence of common severe childhood rickets as evidence of the ice age being a post-Flood event.

Once again (according to Lubenow) the rickets occurred in childhood, thus adult fossils have to some degree recovered from them.

True, and Lubenow refers to Virchow's work including the fact that rickets occurred in childhood. Lubenow also cites evidence that rickets was common and possibly universal in Neanderthal kids. The most likely explanation was that some nutritional sources were reserved for adults.

During the post-Flood ice age, Lubenow would have the heavy cloud cover extended to tropical areas so the fact that Homo erectus was mainly in the tropics would not have protected them.