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DNA Analysis Probes the End of Human-Neanderthal Sex

An anonymous reader writes "Modern Europeans may have interbred with Neanderthals as recently as 37,000 years ago, after modern humans with advanced stone tools expanded out of Africa, according to a new study. In an attempt to understand why the Neanderthals are more closely related to people from outside of Africa, researchers from Harvard and the Max Planck Institute estimated that while the last sex between Neanderthals and modern humans may have occurred 37,000 to 86,000 years ago, it is most likely that it occurred 47,000 to 65,000 years ago."

6 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. reproduction != sex by khallow · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Humanity never had successful reproduction with sheep, but I wouldn't go as far as to claim as a result that we've never had sex with sheep.

    I do wonder what changed after the alleged period when occasional reproduction occurred.

  2. Re:maybe this is why africans are so stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    No, this is the information that the Nazi race scientists had supressed for so long, that the Africans were actually the purer race.

  3. Re:A Brief History of the World by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A really interesting Slashdot phenomenon is while attempting to be all scientificy and stuff and being strong advocates of Darwinian natural selection, don't seem to really grasp the implications of the concept. No species tries to maintain equilibrium. Equilibrium is forced upon them.

  4. Re:A Brief History of the World by Hognoxious · · Score: 1, Insightful

    No species tries to maintain equilibrium.

    An intelligent one could.

    Let me know when one turns up.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  5. Re:The last sex between Neanderthals and humans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I am pretty sure that DNA wouldn't effect the looks as much regarding skin tone and possibly hair. It was most likely thousands of years spent in a specific environment that contributed to looks. It is possible to see drastic changes to a persons body in one lifetime so you can just imagine what would happen if generations settled in a specific area.

    And how do you think population characteristics are passed between generations? magic?

  6. Re:maybe this is why africans are so stupid by drkim · · Score: 1, Insightful

    the argument could be that mixed heritage offers the greatest chance for development.. 'purity' only leads to decay.

    Correct.
    I believe another word for 'purity' is 'inbreeding.'