Neanderthal News

[MichelleH]

A little more on Neanderthal DNA from Genome Web:


Neanderthal Draft Genome Sequence, Targeted Sequences Shine Light on Human Evolution


http://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/nea ... -evolution

[Minimalist]

Is anyone else confused by this line?

Based on the results, the scientists believe that Neandertals and modern humans diverged about 830,000 years ago. Based on simulations, the two populations diverged on the order of 300,000 years ago, although there is significant uncertainty associated with that number.

[Digit]

Totally!

Roy.

[Minimalist]

Whew....I thought it was just me.

[Minimalist]

So now, it seems, there weren't very many of them anyway!

http://www.livescience.com/culture/0907 ... ation.html

Neanderthals are of course extinct. But there never were very many of them, new research concludes.

In fact, new genetic evidence from the remains of six Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) suggests the population hovered at an average of 1,500 females of reproductive age in Europe between 38,000 and 70,000 years ago, with the maximum estimate of 3,500 such female Neanderthals.

[Digit]

Somebody explain please why the genetic diversity of HSS should be the same in HSN.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

So Erectus spreads around the world....turns into Heidelbergensis who turns into Neanderthal who is then overwhelmed by HSS. What a neat little story.

All these neat little designations of different "species" could just as easily be what passes today as "racial differences."

Is it some inconceivable that a small group of Erectus became isolated in Eastern/Northern Europe and developed differing characteristics based on constant in-breeding?

[Digit]

Depends on whether your Club membership is upto date or not Min.
According to posts I've read modern HSS is evolving ever faster, which to me means evolution was slower in the past, so once again they are comparing chalk with cheese.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

I'm not convinced that we're evolving at all, Dig.

[Minimalist]

This is a good read.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... s-downfall

Towards the end they address the complexity of the problem.

The Stone Age whodunit is far from solved. But researchers are converging on one conclusion: regardless of whether climate or competition with moderns, or some combination thereof, was the prime mover in the decline of the Neandertals, the precise factors governing the extinction of individual populations of these archaic hominids almost certainly varied from group to group. Some may have perished from disease, others from inbreeding. “Each valley may tell its own story,” Finlayson remarks.

More than one cause? How very enlightened of them.

[Cognito]

More than one cause? How very enlightened of them.

Nice article. Since Hn and Hss co-existed for about 15,000 years per the article it is really a safe assumption that there was more than one cause. Regardless of that silly comment, the author was thoughtful in most areas.

[Minimalist]

Since Hn and Hss co-existed for about 15,000 years

Does sort of let the air out of the bag for "instant aggression" between the two.

[Minimalist]

More of the same....

What they need is to find an HE dna specimen so we can figure out if we'll all descended from them.


http://www.physorg.com/news172567188.html

Which genes make us uniquely human? Scientists are looking at DNA in old bones to find out. The focus now is not so much on our own species, Homo sapiens. Instead, scientists are probing DNA in well-preserved pieces of bone from our closest extinct relative, the Neanderthal.

[Rokcet Scientist]

If there were only 10,000 HN individuals alive simultaneously, spread out over southern and middle Europe and the middle east, i.o.w. extemely thinly, I'm guessing they, as a species, disappeared very fast. 'Diluted' beyond recognition (as HN) by the far greater HSS numbers, possibly killed by contagious (HSS) disease(s) they had no immunity against, and killed outright in (racial) battle.

[Minimalist]

If they were even very different to begin with, R/S.