Genetic Studies of Modern Populations Show Varying Neandertal Ancestry

The complex world of human genetics research speaks a language unfamiliar to most of us, but it has opened up a new window on our understanding of the dynamics of ancient populations; and few areas of research have been more tantalizing than that surrounding the questions of how modern humans are related to the Neandertals, an ancient species of human whose morphology or physical characteristics disappeared from the human fossil record roughly 30,000 years ago. The most recent studies have provided evidence about when the Neandertal (Homo neandertalensis) and modern human populations (Homo sapiens) first diverged from a common ancestral population. They have also suggested that Neandertals and ancient modern humans interbred, and that some distinct modern populations have more Neandertal ancestry than others.

In a 2010 benchmark study conducted by a consortium of scientists and institutions, researchers compared and analyzed a Neandertal genome constructed from samples taken from the bones of three Neandertal individuals excavated at the Vindija Cave in Croatia. A genome is an organism's complete hereditary information as encoded encoded in DNA. They compared the genome with modern human genomes from a sampling of present-day human groups from different parts of the world. What they found was a number of genetic variants in regions along the genome that both Neandertals and modern humans shared as a result of positive natural selection, "including genes involved in metabolism and in cognitive and skeletal development". [1]

The evidence suggested some additional conclusions. One of them deals with the long-standing debate about when modern humans and Neandertals diverged in the time-line of evolution. Examination of the new data now indicates that the split took place between 270,000 and 440,000 years ago, "a date that is compatible with some interpretations of the paleontological and archaeological record" and a common ancestor that lived within the last 500,000 years. [1]

Equally significant is the answer they found regarding how the Neandertal genome variants ended up in the modern human genome in the first place.

"A challenge in detecting signals of gene flow between Neandertals and modern human ancestors," state the study authors in the report, "is that the two groups share common ancestors within the last 500,000 years, which is no deeper than the nuclear DNA sequence variation within present-day humans. Thus, even if no gene flow occurred, in many segments of the genome, Neandertals are expected to be more closely related to some present-day humans than they are to each other. However, if Neandertals are, on average across many independent regions of the genome, more closely related to present-day humans in certain parts of the world than in others, this would strongly suggest that Neandertals exchanged parts of their genome with the ancestors of these groups." [1]

In other words, if there are differences in the degree to which different geographically dispersed present-day population groups show Neandertal ancestry, this would suggest that Neandertals and ancient modern human ancestors interbred.

*We performed this test using eight present-day humans: two European Americans (CEU), two East Asians (ASN), and four West Africans (YRI) We find that the Neandertals are equally close to Europeans and East Asians....... However, the Neandertals are significantly closer to non-Africans than to Africans." [1]

The researchers' best explanation for these findings is that the Neandertals exchanged genes with the ancestors of non-Africans. Eurasian Neandertals interbred with ancient modern humans. But, the study authors continue, "the actual amount of interbreeding between Neandertals and modern humans may have been very limited, given that it contributed only 1 to 4% of the genome of present-day non-Africans". [1]

What is more, they were able to determine the relative time in which the mixing began:

A striking observation is that Neandertals are as closely related to a Chinese and Papuan individual as to a French individual, even though morphologically recognizable Neandertals exist only in the fossil record of Europe and western Asia. Thus, the gene flow between Neandertals and modern humans that we detect most likely occurred before the divergence of Europeans, East Asians, and Papuans. This may be explained by mixing of early modern humans ancestral to present-day non-Africans with Neandertals in the Middle East before their expansion into Eurasia. Such a scenario is compatible with the archaeological record, which shows that modern humans appeared in the Middle East before 100,000 years ago whereas the Neandertals existed in the same region after this time, probably until 50,000 years ago. [1]

Any canoodling, then, may have actually started before the two species encountered each other in what is now present-day Europe or West Asia.

The picture becomes more complicated with later studies, which have shown some interesting new details. John Hawks, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, reports the results of a study of the comparison of East Asian region samples (Japanese, Han Chinese in Beijing, and Han Chinese originating in South China) with European region samples (Tuscans, British, Finn, CEU, and Spanish) taken from the 1000 Genomes Project in his weblog entitled The Malapa Soft Tissue Project. Here he concludes that "the Europeans average a bit more Neandertal than Asians", suggesting that "Europeans may have mixed with Neandertals as they moved into Europe, constituting a second process of population mixture beyond that shared by European and Asian ancestors". [2] More interesting still were the differences detected among the samples within each of the two regions. Within the East Asian region, the North China population was found to have more Neandertal indicators than the South China, and within the European region, the southern populations more than the northern, with the Tuscans having "the highest level of Neandertal similarity of any of the 1000 Genomes Project samples". [2] Hawks relates the results of research on African populations, as well, which also show variability. He points to the Yoruba people, a West African population, having significantly more Neandertal genome similarity than the Luhya, an East African population. "We now know from examination of genetic variation within Africa today," states Hawks about the possible implications, "that some of today's diversity can be traced to ancient population structure in Middle Pleistocene African populations. For example, Neandertals could be more closely related to some African populations than others today because Neandertals actually exchanged genes with some ancient African populations. Or Neandertals might have sprung from one African population among many who lived 250,000 years ago..........As we combine the archaic genome data with our growing picture of diverse lineages in Africa today, we may discover ancient populations that are not apparent archaeologically. Again, genetics is giving us a totally new picture of the diversity and population dynamics of ancient people." [2]

Genome research continues to provide new findings through an expanding source of shared data, affording new details. Looking forward, Hawks asks the next question: "Which Neandertal-derived variants are shared between regions, and which are unique to one region?......Now, we have sequences capable of telling us much more." [2]

[1] Green, Richard E., et.al., A Draft Sequence of the Neandertal Genome, Science 7 May 2010, Vol. 328 no. 5979 pp. 710-722 DOI: 10.1126/science.1188021.

[2] John Hawks, The Malapa Soft Tissue Project, Weblog at http://johnhawks.net/malapa.

Vendramini's reconstructions are consistent with the DNA evidence:

And what is your evidence that Vendramini's opinions about the DNA are more valid than my postman's? Looking for his educational credentials just turns up that he's a "self educated scholar".

Abraham Lincoln's educational credentials were roughly similar. For that matter it's all the clowns with the PHD degrees who've made all the errors in logic on this subject and for that matter failed to see something which a child should have been able to see early on and which Vendramini finally DID see:

Image courtesy of www.themandus.org

When it comes to DNA any difference whatsoever is IMPORTANT and SIGNIFCANT.

Otherwise you might really be mistaken for a chimpanzee or gorilla.

The entire lesson is that it is the mother's responsibility to get husbands for her daughters. If she fails she will turn to stone (or some other hard substance) and her husband will end up sleeping with her daughters.

So, in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah we find an original rule handed down by God to the daughters of men ~ the rest of the story is comedic relief and instruction in the pitfalls that can occur to the unwary.

She let Lot take her to a town full of gay guys. Well, right there's the end of that tale. Next thing you know they're all fleeing for their lives to get away from God's fury.

I bet you somebody out there thinks the gay guys are the focus of the story ~ and not the moral obligation of the woman to tend to her daughters needs so that the generations of men may be long on the Earth.

Well, there you go ~ Gloria Steinhem would understand this one.

“In other words, there are distinct genetic differences between African and non-African populations, and these differences include genes that affect IQ. The researchers better be prepared to be burned at the stake once these findings are absorbed by the general public. “

I read “The Bell Curve” shortly after it came out. Highly documented, shows black average IQ of 85.

There are significant differences in physical types, so why not mental types?

Conservatives knew all along that being Neanderthal would turn out to be a good thing!!

It will take a while to convince all of them. Some of them believe that Leftwingtard line about Neanderthals being dumb brutes.

Right now it looks like they may be responsible for a 40pt IQ advantage for the Chinese, and a bit less of an advantage for Europeans.

Very slight small men mainly from East Africa have dominated long distance running, and I believe they have a physical advantage.

More muscular blacks have dominated sprints, again I believe in part due to physical advantage. (Increasingly also evident in basketball, football, soccer (futbol) and to some extent even baseball.)

Fortunately sports are free of “affirmative action” and therefore we can readily make these observations.

Similar to physical capabilities, I believe the same racial differences are very likely in mental capabilites, in spite of liberal-feel-good objections.

Thomas Sowell even objects, and I sympathize with his desire that it not be so, but he alone doesn’t convince me.

The little guys who dominate long distance running ALL come from highland areas that abut Kilamanjaro Volcano ~ during the last Ice Age that mountain was covered with glaciers. Those highlands were well watered with melting ice, and had a temperate climate.

People lived there.

They had to develop the characteristics needed to survive in an alpine climate. Those are the little guys.

If you follow cross country skiing, that's dominated by Sa'ami, all well adapted to subarctic climate conditions! They have a high incidence of dwarfism albeit not that you'd notice, and there are people who will beat you up for saying anything about it!

When it comes to DNA any difference whatsoever is IMPORTANT and SIGNIFCANT.

Only if the variation is PROVEN to be a result of Neanderthal DNA, which it hasnt been. Saying that 1% to 3% of some DNA marker is shared by Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens is meaningless if the DNA marker in question exists in the Homo Sapiens population at an equal or higher rate anyway, which it might very well do.

They need more research and bigger sample sizes before they can draw conclusions like this.

You really do need to read back through that part of the discussion ~ seriously.

Modern humans differ very little from one another when it comes to genes. Our biggest differences seem to be a consequence of epigenetics ~

“The little guys who dominate long distance running ALL come from highland areas that abut Kilamanjaro Volcano ~ during the last Ice Age that mountain was covered with glaciers. Those highlands were well watered with melting ice, and had a temperate climate.
People lived there.

They had to develop the characteristics needed to survive in an alpine climate. Those are the little guys.

If you follow cross country skiing, that’s dominated by Sa’ami, all well adapted to subarctic climate conditions! They have a high incidence of dwarfism albeit not that you’d notice, and there are people who will beat you up for saying anything about it!”

Might have a trace of laplander blood myself (via Sweden). Compact body, short libs (to avoid heat loss, etc).

I ran several marathons, some under 3 hours with a wrestler’s build—good long distance endurance.

You definitely understand.

Last winter olympics there were three kinds of skiers in the cross country ~ Laps(Sa'ami), Norse, and Others.

One of the "Others", a German guy, kept up pretty well with the Sa'ami until he overheated toward the end. They crushed him.

I watched guys going UPHILL 55 MPH in that race ~ at the end.

That's how humans were able to hunt the Arctic/subarctic regions' fastest animal ~ the Reindeer.

They could ski up hill, then come downhill at the animals MUCH faster than they could escape. You do that for a few hundred years and you can undercut the biological support system for the big cats, bears and wolves.

Vendramini doesn’t have a reconstruction, he’s got a full-blown free-form fantasy. He’ll probably be able to option it for a picture, maybe to Bollywood.

That really crude giant fake nostrils pic was also on some ‘blog in Australia.


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Thanks Renfield. For those who miss Wendy1946, who got banned late last year and no one told me (found out by accident a few weeks back), we've got another ranter about Neandertal. The Neandertal Enigma by James Shreeve in local libraries Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127] To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

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