Posted on 06/24/2015 6:50:32 AM PDT by Sopater
(Newser) A jawbone found in Romania more than a decade ago provides the first genetic evidence that humans and Neanderthals knocked boots in Europe before the latter disappeared between 35,000 and 40,000 years ago. Scientists who came across the bone of one of the earliest modern humans in Europe in a cave known as Pestera cu Oase noticed it had both modern human and Neanderthal traits. Now, a study of the bone's DNAmade possible by recent technological advancesexplains why. "The sample is more closely related to Neanderthals than any other modern human we've ever looked at before," Harvard researcher David Reich explains in a press release. "We estimate that 6% to 9% of its genome is from Neanderthals. This is an unprecedented amount." In comparison, all people except sub-Saharan Africans share 1% to 4% of their DNA with Neanderthals today.
DNA in the fossil, which is 37,000 to 42,000 years old, suggests the Oase individual had a Neanderthal ancestor four to six generations back, reports Reuters. In other words, a great-great-grandparent might've been a Neanderthal, notes LiveScience. That shows interbreeding occurred far more recently than scientists had guessed; they initially thought interbreeding took place only in the Middle East between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. "It's an incredibly unexpected thing," Reich says. "In the last few years, we've documented interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans, but we never thought we'd be so lucky to find someone so close to that event." You aren't likely to share any DNA with the jawbone's owner, however. Reich says the hunter-gatherer was from a "pioneer population" that entered Europe but "didn't give rise to the later population." (The oldest Neanderthal DNA is some 150,000 years old.)
Good points!
Kinky.
It isn’t evidence that the interbreeding happened in Europe.
Or, the reverse.
After all, the supposedly less strong and intelligent sapiens wiped out Neandertaliensis, not the other way around. There had to have been some occasions in which the males were killed but the females were still alive.
“In comparison, all people except sub-Saharan Africans share 1% to 4% of their DNA with Neanderthals today.”
So do sub-Saharan Africans share more than 1% to 4% of their DNA with Neanderthals or is it less?
If you look directly at Medusa, you’ll turn to stone.
A team of scientists comparing the full genomes of the two species concluded that most Europeans and Asians have between 1 to 4 percent Neanderthal DNA. Indigenous sub-Saharan Africans have no Neanderthal DNA because their ancestors did not migrate through Eurasia.
What about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered Neanderthals? How did Neanderthals treat their LGBT members???
I self identify as Neanderthal. Where is my government subsidy?
“There had to have been some occasions in which the males were killed but the females were still alive.”
Sure. But, again, the lack of Neanderthal mitochondria (which comes from mom only) in modern humans tends to prove that it was Neaderthal men slumming with homo sapien sapien women. (Or that such cross-breeds were sterile.)
That and a Neaderthal woman was still as strong as an NFL lineman, so not sure how they take to being slaves.
People always think it is the bigger, stronger, faster that survive, but being big, strong, and faster means you have to A LOT. (And a bigger brain uses a lot of calories, too.)
Scarcity of food wipes out “better” examples all the time (example: Shetland ponies ancestors were normal ponies and the pressure of poor food choices and cold made a preference for squatty little horses.)
“o do sub-Saharan Africans share more than 1% to 4% of their DNA with Neanderthals or is it less?”
Less, as in “none.”
Neaderthals were fair skinned with red or blond hair.
Any port in a storm.
All good points.
Suspect you left out a word in your fourth para. Probably “eat.”
No, there actually is a "gold standard" for defining the differences between breeds or sub-species versus species, genera and families.
Breeds (i.e., dogs), varieties (plants) or "races" (humans) can and do readily interbreed.
Sub-species also interbreed, but not so readily or successfully.
We think today that Neanderthals were a sub-species of humans.
Different species of the same genus don't normally interbreed in the wild, though sometimes can be forced in captivity.
A typical example is horse and donkey species producing sterile mule offspring.
Different genera of the same family usually cannot successfully interbreed, even when forced, for example, African and Indian Elephants.
Bottom line: it's the degree of difficulty in interbreeding which helps tell biologists how closely related are two different populations.
this is about dehumanizing European and European cultures.
IOW it is owellian.
Early European modern human had a close Neanderthal ancestor
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3303323/posts
The Neandertal Enigma"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]
by James Shreeve
in local libraries
“Suspect you left out a word in your fourth para. Probably eat.”
Yes, I tend to use an iPhone and have rather Neaderthal-sized fingers.
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