[Right Wing Professor]

"This discontinuity is difficult to reconcile with the hypothesis that both Neanderthals and early anatomically modern humans contributed to the current European gene pool."

They should be a little more careful. What it says is that Neanderthal women didn't contribute to the gene pool. Suppose Cro-Magnon men didn't fancy Neanderthal women, on account of them looking like the sisters of Dourass, but Neanderthal men liked Cro-Magnon women? I don't think that scenario's at all unlikely.

[maro]

Yeah, I suppose that is possible, but wouldn't the daughter or granddaughter of such a union likely be attractive to Cro-Mag men? You have to posit that every line with Neanderthal genes had women who were utterly abhorrent to Cro-Magnon men. That seems unlikely.

[presidio9]

Suppose Cro-Magnon men didn't fancy Neanderthal women, on account of them looking like the sisters of Dourass, but Neanderthal men liked Cro-Magnon women?

Also, I don't think there was a heck of a lot of courtship going on back then, and a cro-magnon man may not have been able to overpower a neandertal woman.

[Lee'sGhost]

"Suppose Cro-Magnon men didn't fancy Neanderthal women, on account of them looking like the sisters of Dourass, but Neanderthal men liked Cro-Magnon women? I don't think that scenario's at all unlikely."

OK, so do you explain Helen Thomas?

(I know, it doesn't quite go together, but I thought saying "Helen Thomas" on this thread would get a laugh. I think your theory has merit. . . .and then the female offspring of the N-men/CM-women might not be so ugly as to discourage ALL CM men.


"the sisters of Dourass" ???

[capitan_refugio]

"Suppose Cro-Magnon men didn't fancy Neanderthal women, on account of them looking like the sisters of Dourass ..."

Everbody knows that (after "The Original Series"), Klingon skulls were modeled after "Zinjanthropus", not "Neanderthalensis"!!

[Oberon]

What it says is that Neanderthal women didn't contribute to the gene pool.

Evidently they had not yet invented beer brewing at that time.

[CobaltBlue]

Given the bone mass of Homo Neanderthalensis, I hypothesize that a Homo Sapiens woman would not be able to pass a mixed-blood child through her pelvis.

Also, we have no way of knowing how long the gestation period was for Homo Neanderthalensis - if they needed a longer gestation period there would be the problem of prematurity.

Just being physically able to mate doesn't mean that two different species can reproduce.