clipped from: www.livescience.com   

The first modern humans had something Neanderthals didn't. About 30,000 years ago, our Neanderthal neighbors died off while we survived. Scientists are unsure what gave us an edge, but new research could help narrow down the possibilities.

A team of anthropologists has compared measurements of Neanderthal skulls to modern human skulls, and argues that most variations among them are the result of random changes that occur over time, and not of adaptations driven by natural selection.

"We're actually saying that the differences between modern humans' skulls and Neanderthals' are not due to changes that increased people's ability to survive and reproduce," said researcher Tim Weaver
"Whatever advantages humans had over Neanderthals didn’t have to do with the size and shape of the cranium."

In other words, modern humans don't seem to have developed skeletal adaptations that gave them better eyesight, hearing or smell than Neanderthals.