Posted on 02/21/2015 9:25:21 PM PST by SunkenCiv
In 2010, scientists made a startling discovery about our past: About 50,000 years ago, Neanderthals interbred with the ancestors of living Europeans and Asians.
Now two teams of researchers have come to another intriguing conclusion: Neanderthals interbred with the ancestors of Asians at a second point in history, giving them an extra infusion of Neanderthal DNA.
The findings are further evidence that our genomes contain secrets about our evolution that we might have missed by looking at fossils alone. "We're learning new, big-picture things from the genetic data, rather than just filling in details," said Kirk E. Lohmueller, a geneticist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and co-author of one of the new studies.
The oldest fossils of Neanderthals date back about 200,000 years, while the most recent are an estimated 40,000 years old. Researchers have found Neanderthal bones at sites across Europe and western Asia, from Spain to Siberia.
Some of those bones still retain fragments of Neanderthal DNA. Scientists have pieced those DNA fragments together, reconstructing the entire Neanderthal genome. It turns out that Neanderthals had a number of distinct genetic mutations that living humans lack.
Today, people who are not of African descent have stretches of genetic material almost identical to Neanderthal DNA, comprising about 2 percent of their entire genomes. These DNA fragments are the evidence that Neanderthals interbred with the early migrants out of Africa, likely in western Asia.
Researchers also have found a peculiar pattern in non-Africans: People in China, Japan and other East Asian countries have about 20 percent more Neanderthal DNA than do Europeans.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Question: If you take two different species, but very similar, and breed them together, they will produce a hybrid species.
HOWEVER, the male of that species will be sterile. So how did these two species reproduce?
neanderthals DNA was spread probably the old fashioned way...
Just my guess....
But what about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered Neanderthals? What about their DNA? What about sperm banks and IVF clinics? Did they discriminate and not have those facilities available for their LGBT people? Since the issue is reproduction here, didn’t that means that the LGBT Neanderthals didn’t get to reproduce????
So, if our ancestors interbred with Neanderthals, it means, biologically, that we are the same species.
Yes, exactly, c, we are the same species.
Mount Tuba was from the Sousacine era, I believe.
Well....they do have big teeth. (ahem)
Don't worry I'm sure their LGBT ancestors will sue someone for discriminate...
By definition of the word "species", different species of the same biological genus can, and occasionally naturally do, interbreed.
A good example is Polar Bears (Maritimus) & Brown Bears (Arctos), for many years classified as not just separate species, but also separate genera until...
Until confirmed examples of hybrids showed they do occasionally interbreed in the wild, and so now they are classified as just separate species of the same genus (Ursus).
Likewise with Neanderthals, they were long classified as a separate species, but now with evidence of interbreeding and very similar DNAs, they are considered just another sub-species of homo-sapiens.
That is not to suggest they were just another "race" or breed, since they were more different from us than we are from each other, but they were closely related enough to be classified in the same species.
Clear?
I hope they will do some DNA studies soon on the Kow Marsh (Swamp?) people from Australian sites, who resemble Heidelbergensis types rather than homo sapiens sapiens, even though the remains are only 12,000 years old.
I had meant to post the lines below here, but had clicked from one interesting link to another, so these lines ended up at a 2002 FR post. I thought they were important enough to repeat here at this current site.
I am really enjoying reading the comments from this 2001 FR post. I came to the GGG ping list 5 years later, and see I have missed a lot. I also get the impression that the quality of comments has deteriorated over time. An occasional joke line is fine, but comment after comment with no content, and the link becomes boring. What a shame.
Coyoteman is a practicing archaeologist who once communicated with us daily.
I started the Ancient Encounters section there but eventually tired and drifted away.
I have now checked into Darwin Central, looked up your name and found you had messages in November wishing you a Happy Birthday. Someone wondered if you had checked out the new improved DC. I got the impression it was majorly revised back in September.
It’s been a while since I visited DC. Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.