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Did Humans Get Their Big Brains From Neanderthals?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the atook-do-calculus-then-zug-zug-lana dept.

MCTFB writes, "According to CNN, human beings may have acquired a gene for developing bigger brains from Neanderthal man. Apparently, 70% of the world's population has a variant of a gene regulating brain size, with this variant being most common in people of European descent (where Neanderthal man lived alongside ancient humans), and least common in people of African descent (where Neanderthal man was non-existent). While modern day eugenicists might all too eagerly read into these findings to draw their own politically biased conclusions, people such as myself, who happen to be of northern European ancestry, may find it fascinating that somewhere in our lineage ancient humans and Neanderthals decided to make love and not war on the ancient plains of Eurasia."

12 of 579 comments (clear)

  1. No surprise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's so surprising about this result? People will fuck anything and everything.

  2. From Neanderthals? No. by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 1, Funny

    From Nerdenthals? Yes.

    --
    If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
  3. Geico Commercials by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Were right all along

  4. And they... by rabryan21 · · Score: 5, Funny

    And the Neanderthals got their big brain from Homo Erectus who traded a mule for it.

  5. Invention of Beer lead to this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    You ever seen Neanderthals? I propose that the invention of Beer and thus Beer Goggles would be needed before this interbreeding occured!

  6. love and not war by erbbysam · · Score: 4, Funny

    "decided to make love and not war on the ancient plains of Eurasia" you know how these sorta things start out... they knew each other from somebody else... met at a party and after alot of drinking let there hormones get the best of there barely separated genes and they mixed back together.

  7. doubleplusgood by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    somewhere in our lineage ancient humans and neanderthals decided to make love and not war on the ancient plains of Eurasia.

    Oceania has never been at war with Eurasia. Everyone knows that.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  8. itsatrap? by Quantam · · Score: 4, Funny

    What is this, some kind of government sting to catch racists that reply?

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    You have tried to support your argument with faulty reasoning! Go directly to jail; do not pass Go, do not collect $200!
  9. Sounds familiar by Perseid · · Score: 3, Funny

    Neanderthals, eh? I think I dated one of those once...

  10. No Because we aren't descended from Neanderthals. by Darthmalt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Obviously we inherited our brains from those on the B-ark. Which is why we always have such impeccably clean phones.

  11. Morg want better gameplay by KJSwartz · · Score: 3, Funny

    Morg like food

    Morg need mate

    Morg mod WOW

    Now Morg happy

  12. Misread by floki · · Score: 2, Funny

    I read it as "Did Humans Get Their Big Brains From Netherlands?" :-)

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    from the to-stupid-for-words dept.