Posted on 02/12/2009 12:35:36 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
Neanderthals are a step closer to walking on Earth again.
Scientists have unravelled the genetic code of man's closest cousin using fragments of bone found across Europe.
The blueprint could provide information on the Neanderthal's looks, intelligence, health and habits, as well as what makes us human.
It also raises the intriguing possibility of bringing our ancient relatives, who died out around 30,000 years ago, back from the dead.
Researcher Professor Jean-Jacques Hublin said: 'Studying the Neanderthals and studying the Neanderthal genome will tell us what makes modern humans really human, why we are alone, why we have these amazing capabilities that allowed our ancestors to draw paintings, to create complex symbols.'
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Germany and US colleagues sequenced more than one billion fragments of DNA extracted from bones of Neanderthal men, women and children that lay undiscovered in caves in Croatia, Spain, Germany and Russia for up to 70,000 years.
They have decoded 63 per cent of the Neanderthal's DNA and have started comparing it with the man's genetic code to work out what makes us human.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Will they be angry at GEICO?
Don’t we have enough democrats already?
Call Geico!
If they are identified to be a potential underclass, the Democrats will clone millions of them.
I just want to know if they really CAN buy auto insurance. I have my doubts, but if they can, it will put them miles ahead of our illegal immigrants.
And this helps mankind? How?
“Because it is there” isn’t always a good reason.
Will Ron Perlman have competition for the HellBoy role?
They’ll be more intelligent than the people who created those ads.
Pretty cool in a, this-is-probably-a-bad-idea sort of way.
Assuming they could be born, the big ethical issue is: are they human enough to have human rights?
I’m thinking Neanerthals aren’t exactly political in nature. They would likely prioritize their life real carefully. If you represent a threat...they would terminate you real quick. They’d likely take things down to the lowest common denominator.
Neaderthals did not lack physical courage.
Ergo, not democrats.
"Walk upright? Not cool, man. Not cool."
Those guys are the metrosexuals of the prehistoric world.
They’re not REAL cavemen!!
I'm not amused.
Brings us one step closer to Jurassic Park?
What right do we have, to basically conjure up a long-dead, sentient being, to be poked and prodded, the only one of it’s kind, after purportedly tens of thousands of years?
It’s cruelty.
They exist today:
Webb Hubbell
Chelsea Clinton
...to mention a couple.
I think the big issue is a theological one: if a Neanderthal is created, does it have an immortal soul?
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