Study: Humans, Neanderthals Did Not Mate

Discovery News ^ | 3-17-2004 | Larry O'Hanlon

[blam]

Study: Humans, Neanderthals Did Not Mate

By Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News

Neanderthal vs. Human

March 17, 2004 — The verdict is in: humans and Neanderthals did not date — much.

Genetic evidence from Neanderthal and early human bones indicates that if there was any intermixing of the two species, it was so little that it left no genetic trace. The discovery was published in the current edition of PloS Biology.

"I thought this was an incredibly significant paper," said Stanford University anthropologist Richard Klein. "So much of the time in paleoanthropology and other 'softer' sciences the arguments seem to go on forever."

This work by a team of European scientists led by Svante Paabo finally brings some solid evidence into the matter, he said.

For years anthropologists have been debating whether humans, when they wandered north into Europe from Africa more then 30,000 years ago, might have interbred with Neanderthals who lived there, said Klein. The evidence, until now, was mostly restricted to the shape of fossil bones.

Now, by isolating the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from four Neanderthals and five contemporary European early humans, the team has found no evidence of any noticeable genetic crossover.

Earlier attempts by Paabo's lab to extract intact genetic material from Neanderthal bones and comparing it to modern humans were inconclusive because of the difficulties of avoiding contaminating the samples with the genetic material of the lab workers who did the work, the researchers explain.

That's why this time they compared the mtDNA from Neanderthals to their contemporary humans — all of whom had mtDNA very different from modern humans.

That's not to say no mixing went on, the researcher cautioned. It would take a lot more samples from a larger number of fossils to rule out small amounts of mixing.

"About 50 early modern human remains would need to be studied to exclude a Neanderthal [sic] mtDNA contribution of ten percent," Paabo and his colleagues reported. "To exclude a five percent contribution, one would need to study more early modern human remains than have been discovered to date."

So the final word on how little the Neanderthals contributed to the modern human gene pool is that it's impossible to say.

For Klein's part, he suspects that humans and Neanderthals were just too different to find each other romantically interesting. "It's not that they couldn't, perhaps, but they probably weren't interested."

Early humans would have probably found Neanderthals very odd-looking and strange-acting, said Klein. So odd-looking, he said, that if you dressed a Neanderthal in a suit and put him on a subway, most people would probably move to another car.

The very prominent jaw and cheekbones, the large nose, as well as the swept-back forehead and low I.Q., would probably make a Neanderthal appear repulsive to most humans.

[VadeRetro]

Your attitude has been noted before this. First the gall bladder, then the "poop-head" stuff.

I've had plenty of dates lately. Twistin' the night away, yeah! (OK, so my favorite place closed about the time Nixon resigned.)

[dfwgator]

Where do they get this garbage? Neanderthal had a larger cranial capacity than his "human" cousins; he had brow ridges and lacked a chin. He had advanced tool-making capabilities (including the bow) and ceremonially buried his dead.

And they made great lawyers _{(RIP Phil Hartman, we still miss ya)}

[VadeRetro]

I still wish they could do a nuclear DNA study. Matrilineal mtDNA only shows that there's no unbroken all-female line back to any female Neanderthal in any modern human so far tested.

[Dark Wing]

You might find this of interest.

[LiteKeeper]

YEC INTREP - Naturalistic Science Report

[binger]

[blam]

A Picture Of A Reconstructed Face Of What Is Believed To Be A Neanderthal Child Hybrid

The Neanderthal Theory

[Whispering Smith]

There was a wrestler back in the '30's or''40's featured in Life magazine who was reputed to have the exact physical appearance of a Neanderthal. I believe his name was Angel.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

There goes my theory of the origin of liberal Democrats!

[blam]

Redheads 'Are Neanderthal'

[farmfriend]

Gods, Graves, Glyphs
List for articles regarding early civilizations , life of all forms, - dinosaurs - etc.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this ping list.

[U S Army EOD]

Sure looks like Chesea Clinton doesn't it?

[lizma]

Redheads are Neanderthal.

"Only in my family" bump.

[U S Army EOD]

One explination of the reason that early man did not mate with Neanderthals is the fact that the sack had not been invented yet.

[TexasTransplant]

Ah..hum..

[stanz]

Last time I checked, Neanderthals were human.

[geedee]

Ah..hum..

LOL. Awwww now, admit it. Us Texans are proudly different than most. Maybe, since you're just a "Transplant" instead of a life-long native like me, you just haven't seen it yet.

[Ditter]

What about Rosie & Harry Butts, the children of Dr. Seymour Butts?

[Wombat101]

Then how do you explain the existance of (in no particular order):

democrats (small 'd' intentional)
Socialists
Communists
Fascists
Nazis
The French
Islamofascists
Tim Robbins
Alec Baldwin

Seems Neanderthals were busy humping everything that moved quite a bit, don't it?

[Modernman]

The very prominent jaw and cheekbones, the large nose, as well as the swept-back forehead and low I.Q., would probably make a Neanderthal appear repulsive to most humans

Hmmm..... How do we know how Neanderthals would score on IQ tests?