[blam]

"Please keep an open mind ready to interpret new data as it arises. Neanderthals MAY have been a dead-end (the issue has not been resolved yet) but the Asian Homo erectus was not a dead end; the PC-paleoanthropologists would like us to believe that, but data argues against it."

Yup. Mungo Man (Australia) is an example. I happen to believe that we are Neanderthal.

[Pharmboy]

To my mind, the only way we do NOT have any Neandertal genes in us is if mating between us and them produced either no offspring or sterile ones (think mule). Otherwise it is highly unlikely that a species as sexually driven as ours (and our ancestors no doubt) would not have sexually exploited a species that was a cousin to us. Remember, even farm animals look good to some (no--not me!).