Neanderthals were capable of human speech Detailed and long-running research shows that our closest ancestor talked and heard. 3D model and virtual reconstruction of the ear in a modern human (left) and the Amud 1 Neandertal (right). Credit: Mercedes Conde-Valverde. The closest ancestor to modern humans – Neanderthals – were capable of understanding and producing human speech, according to a new study published by an international team in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. “This is one of the most important studies I have been involved in during my career,” says anthropologist Rolf Quam, of Binghamton University, US. “The results are solid and clearly show the Neanderthals had the capacity to perceive and produce human speech.