[CarrotAndStick]

Assimilation

One skeleton that has led some researchers to claim that it shared Neanderthal and Cro-magnon features has been found at Lagar Velho in Portugal; it is uncertain whether this is in fact a hybrid of the two species, or simply an extreme individual of one or the other. This may suggest the two species may have interbred. The child skeleton does seem to be more robust than what we would expect for modern humans. However, most researchers think that it represents extreme variation within modern humans. Moreover, the skeleton is dated to about 24,000 years BP. Until recently, this implied that a hybrid population survived in the region for thousands of years. However, a Neanderthal population in Gibraltar dated to about the same time has recently been found. The dating evidence for this claim is debated, though. Claims for Neanderthal sites that were advanced in the past have in the end all been revised to pre-30 kyr*. It has also been speculated that these hybrid individuals could have been sterile.

* kyr = kiloyear.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/lagarvelho.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1871842,00.html

http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/neandertals/gorhams_28000_date_2006.html

[SunkenCiv]

“It has also been speculated that these hybrid individuals could have been sterile.”

It’s just another manifestation (yet another) of the anti-Neandertal bias handed down from Virchow — “oh, well, no hybrids have ever been found that- what’s that? Hybrids have been found? Oh, well, they were probably sterile.” The same thing went on with Neander speech — first it was assumed they were mute and the lack of a hyoid bone given as the reason, then a Neandertal hyoid bone was identified so the reactionary response was that the presence of a hyoid bone wasn’t definitive... as Mad Magazine once opined, “You Just Can’t Win With A Bigot”.

No, I don’t think you’re a bigot, and thanks for posting that with the links!

[blam]

The Neanderthal Theory
(Modern Human-Neanderthal Hybrid)