Archaeologica.org

Now this is interesting. Just after Digit claimed that Neanderthals hung around later than they're giving credit for, up pops an archaic skull from Nigeria dated to 13kya.

"Scientists have collected more evidence to suggest that ancient and modern humans interbred in Africa. Reanalysis of the 13,000-year-old skull from a cave in West Africa reveals a skull more primitive-looking than its age suggests."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14947363

I was claiming almost five years ago that I was part Neanderthal. Now that 1-5% HSN admixture is generally accepted, I think I'll up my own percentage to 10%.

Prof Stringer thinks that ancient humans did not die away once they had given rise to modern humans.

Why does it takes experts so long to fall over the obvious? The attempts to fit every skeletal piece into a straight line evolution has become embarrassing in recent years.

Roy.

Digit wrote:

Prof Stringer thinks that ancient humans did not die away once they had given rise to modern humans.

Why does it takes experts so long to fall over the obvious? The attempts to fit every skeletal piece into a straight line evolution has become embarrassing in recent years.

Roy.

My theory in this case is it's a sort of fallout from Piltdown Man - everyone's scared of getting egg on their face and have become over cautious.

Weirdly enough, the first time I ever came across this theory was in Weirdo, an underground comic by Robert Crumb which reprinted an illustrated article from the 1970s purely as an interesting curio - the article was clearly by a nutter, one who believed all the evil in the world was down to inbreeding with neanderthals and/or yeti (sigh...), the "evidence" being drawings of bad guys (Manson, various nazis) where the artist had emphasised their ape-like qualities to "prove" his point. In other words the whole thing was apeshit crazy, albeit apeshit crazy with what may be some basis in reality (aside from the 'evil hybrid' drivel).

Aside from the egg on the face thing, I really don't understand why there has been such opposition to this idea.

As with Einstein WA, people are afraid to step out of line, those that have in the past have either been proved correct, our Albert, or been ruined.

Roy.

To the above comments I would like to add a lack of imagination.

The oldest known HSS skeleton is dated to circa 198kya in Ethiopia. Yet, HSS didn't officially "leave" Africa until about 50-60kya or so. So ... what was HSS doing for roughly 140-150,000 years? Hanging out in Africa? There is a lot of history to account for there. As the conventional story goes HSS suddenly became "smarter" and then sprang forth from Africa to conquer the world whilst replacing all those unfortunates before them. Of course, up until recently, none of the conventional crowd would admit to any cross-breeding while considering Neanderthals sub-human with regard to speech, art, religion, etc.

Fortunately, the single exodus model is dying off as Svante Paabo & Co demonstrated that much of the world is part Neanderthal and that Melanesians have Denisovan heritage. All of this cross-breeding screams MULTIREGIONAL, or more correctly, Wolpoff's Regional Evolution Hypothesis.

http://ratedzed.wordpress.com/2011/09/0 ... d-wolpoff/

I've just reached 71 yrs Cog and in that time I've been able to see Dinos move from slow, brainless lizards to fast adaptable animals. I've watched Pterosaurs finally lumber into the air and morph into masters of medium.
With luck I might still be around when common sense takes over with Homo.
I arrived at my conclusions years ago based on the same evidence that the experts used to reach their conclusions.
The problem I had with their thoughts was the number of times they needed to invoke 'special case' for Homo.
Homo lived in Africa, an area with various climates, but without the adaptions that other species used to fit an environment.
Homo left Africa and made it to Oz in an incredibly short time.
HSS changed not at all once Homo became HSS, then over night changed once he reached eastern Asia and Oz!
HSS left Africa either white or black, if he left white, he left no examples behind, if he left black he changed to white PDQ!
Problem was that when I came to the conclusion that is now winning my contemporaries were quoting that God was an Englishman and Piltdown proved it!

Roy.

It is clear that the chaos in China and Asia as modern anthropology was developing limited the data available.

Beyond that, the effects of major comet and asteroid impacts on human evolution were never considered.

Amazingly, those effects are still not examined by the majority of researchers working in that field.

There's something important which I need to add here.
The modern aboriginal population of Australia evolved since their ancient ancestors migrated there, just as man has elsewhere, including our own ancestors.

With luck I might still be around when common sense takes over with Homo.

You're still an optimist, Dig. But more power to you!

As I intend living for ever Min I reckon I'm in with a chance.

Roy.

I can't afford to live for ever.

Remember what Woody Allen said at the end of "Love and Death."

The key is, to not think of death as an end, but as more of a very effective way to cut down on your expenses

I don't cost a lot.

Roy.