Were neanderthals able to sharpen a blade to one molecule?

Could you? Yes I'm sure we will develop this technology soon enough. Would it make it better than any other edge? Not really. There is a super fine balance between too obtuse an edge and too thin of an edge. There are also two parts to the edge of a weapon that give it its sharpness. read more

In one-on-one combat with planar swords, one of the swords will invariably slice through the other. The trick is making sure you hit the opponent's sword at just the right angle with a thinner blade. The blade dulls with each strike and swing, requiring it to be periodically sharpened by a button on the hilt (a blade can only handle about 1500 sharpenings). read more

You CAN sharpen a metal blade to a 1-atom edge, but the surface energy at that edge will be great enough to induce movement along the sharpened surface via the energy gradient. The equilibrium in this case would happen when interatomic forces (between metal atoms) exceeds the force from the energy gradient. read more

Outnumbered 10 to one by modern humans, Neanderthals weren't hunted to extinction by a supposedly superior species; they were bred out, genetically swamped. JOHN HAWKS: I would frame the end of the Neanderthals as a process of interaction and absorption. read more