Neandertal wrap up

[Rokcet Scientist]

We need a group hug.

Can Neandertals join in?
It turns out – as we all expected – that they've been among us all along, of course:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... rne-genome

I'm probably one as well. As you probably are...
We're all Neandertal zombies!



That's a sobering concept, innit?

[Minimalist]

Of course they can.


We're Equal Opportunity around here.

[Rokcet Scientist]

And just like it turns out that about every 4th or 5th star of our sun's class has an earth-like planet in the 'habitable zone', so that there must be billions of potential carbohydrate life harbouring planets, so it will turn out that we, HS, are of course an amalgam of all our genetic ancestors: most of the species of homo that preceded us. How could it be any different? We wouldn't be here if it weren't so.

[Digit]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 140421.htm

Roy.

[Rokcet Scientist]

Good article. But too much emphasis on eugenics, imo. I think cultural and environmental developments and adaptations played a much more important part in 'separating' the species than the physical differences. We wouldn't recognise a Neandertal in 21st century garb coming up to us and introducing himself as an HN!

[Digit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... ought.html

So not so wrapped up.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

It was widely believed that the limited meat-only diet of Neanderthals and their lack of cooking skills contributed to their extinction.

Reports of their extinction seem to have been overstated!

[Digit]

Yep.

Roy.

[MichelleH]

Here's an overview of the year for the Neandertal.....

2010: A Good Year For Neanderthals (And DNA)
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/28/132243863 ... ls-and-dna

[Minimalist]

All Hail, Gramps!

[Digit]

It did, however, share a common ancestor with us, probably in Africa. Moreover, its DNA shows marked similarities with modern people from Melanesia.

Now that seems to show the main racial groupings all had different origins, so it looks to me as though HE or HSS or HSN needs subdividing as has been suggested on here before.

Roy.

[Minimalist]

That's a good point and all it does is push OOA back a couple of million years....as R/S suggested elsewhere...

But that portion of OOA which swears that there was no interbreeding with any of these other "species" seems to have taken a fatal hit.

Two million years of more or less separate evolution makes a lot more sense than a mere 75,000 years.

[Digit]

Two million years of more or less separate evolution makes a lot more sense than a mere 75,000 years.

Absolutely.

Roy.

[Digit]

Ain't the Web a wonderful place.....

http://us.altermedia.info/news-of-inter ... _7276.html

Roy.

[Minimalist]

The guy is the personification of the phrase "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."