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Neanderthal Genes Found In All Non-African Populations

Med-trump writes "Neanderthals, whose ancestors left Africa about 400,000 to 800,000 years ago, evolved in what is now mainly France, Spain, Germany and Russia, and are thought to have lived until about 30,000 years ago. Now scientists have identified a piece of Neanderthal DNA (called a haplotype) in the human X chromosome and conclude that this haplotype is present because of mating between our ancestors and Neanderthals. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution."

4 of 406 comments (clear)

  1. are the neanderthal genes expressed? by hxnwix · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The human genome contains all kinds of junk that isn't expressed, including code for various viruses. However, that does not make one a virus any more than it makes one a neanderthal.

  2. Re:Won't quiet the racists by Paracelcus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "Inferior" Homo Neanderthalensis lived as a distinct group for half a million years, surviving the toughest conditions imaginable with very limited technology, I's say that the modern hiker, who dies of exposure/starvation in 40F weather within 200 yards of a road is inferior! Could you live a night wrapped in several animal hides, probably without a fire, in ice age weather -70F?

    --
    I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
  3. Re:more like we genocided them by FoolishOwl · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You missed the part where they've found evidence that most humans have Neanderthal genes.

    I always wondered why the assumption was genocide, when human communities tend to favor marriage to members of adjacent groups, and by most accounts I've read, Neanderthals would have been almost indistinguishable from anatomically modern humans, anyway. It just always seemed to make the most sense that the Neanderthals would have simply been absorbed by the larger group.

  4. Re:Someone needs to check. by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 5, Funny

    Quiet down youngster.