Ancient humans had sex with a mysterious species, scientists discover

News.com.au ^ | July 25, 2017 | Jasper Hamill

[Candor7]

HUMANITY has a filthy secret: our ancestors used to have sex with members of other species. That’s the finding in a new piece of research which suggests ancient people used to romp with a “ghost” species of proto human.

We are just one of a number of species known as hominins. Members of this family include Neanderthals and Denisovans, which are no longer found on Earth. “It seems that interbreeding between different early hominin species is not the exception — it’s the norm,” said Omer Gokcumen, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Buffalo.

Gokcumen tested the DNA of humans living in Sub-Saharan Africa and found genes which were “wildly different from versions found in other modern humans”. These genes probably trace back to prehistoric rumpy pumpy which probably took place about 150,000 years ago between our ancestors and a mysterious species.

“Based on our analysis, the most plausible explanation for this extreme variation is archaic introgression — the introduction of genetic material from a ‘ghost’ species of ancient hominins,” Gokcumen added. “This unknown human relative could be a species that has been discovered, such as a subspecies of Homo erectus, or an undiscovered hominin. “We call it a ‘ghost’ species because we don’t have the fossils.” People living today would be a lot more like Neanderthals had it not been for a quirk of evolutionary fate.

[Garth Tater]

Erectus Walks Amongst Us

[Bullish]

Anyone need any more proof?

[jerod]

Homo-uglyious

[LadyShires]

First thing I thought of.

[Jack Black]

If they can interbreed and produce viable fertile offspring, they’re not a different species. They’re human.

A decent rule of thumb, but it's more complicated than that according to the wikipedia article on species. It sort of like the famous Supreme Court Justice's definition of porno: I know it when I see it.

[al baby]

Vasquez now has a high end undergarment boutique in Los Angeles My wife shops there once in while Jennette is a real nice lady

[al baby]

Half dumb and half stupid

[faithhopecharity]

yes, except he made out like a bandit

[SauronOfMordor]

If our ancestors could successfully interbreed with them, then they were not a different species, just a different race.

[BenLurkin]

Awesome!

[9422WMR]

Any port in a storm?

[hadaclueonce]

This is how we have lawyers....

[hadaclueonce]

72 posts, yet all missed the oldest joke

[NonValueAdded]

"When men were men
and sheep other species were nervous."

(except in the Middle East, where sheep are still nervous)

[Snickering Hound]

[apostoli]

LMFAO!

[central_va]

Neanderthal girls are easy.

[mcshot]

Like the ones that like to burn down their own neighborhoods and jump on vehicles to make them more compact so they burn better. And the only thing they make is more of themselves since the productive part of society feeds, clothes and help house them. YEAH! I got it!

[mcshot]

I could be talked into some “rumpy pumpy” with #3 if laz would let her loose.