DNA Neandertal Vs Homo Sapiens

[Guy Etchells]

One interesting aspect of DNA for Europeans shows we have twice as much "Neandertal" DNA than we do "Homo Sapien" DNA.
It was once though the the two never interbred but the opposite has bee proven to be the case.
It seems rather than the Neandertals being wiped out they were simply intergrated into the more common Homo Sapien "breed".
Cheers
Guy

[Romilly]

I read this Article in 'The Guardian' on a similar theme a little while ago:

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/aug/14/study-doubt-human-neanderthal-interbreeding

Romilly.

[Greensleeves]

I think this can be accounted for by the fact that the Neanderthals originated in Europe and integrated with the Homo Sapiens.  Fascinating stuff - I remember when I was at school being told that Neanderthals were hardly human but recent research shows that their way of life was comparatively sophisticated.

[supermoussi]

Has anyone got an unusually high or low result when they took the Neanderthal DNA test, e.g. 0% or >4% ?

[FeteFatale]

One interesting aspect of DNA for Europeans shows we have twice as much "Neandertal" DNA than we do "Homo Sapien" DNA.
.....

I think that should be twice as much Neanderthal DNA as the average homo sapiens sapiens does. I seriously doubt anyone believes Europeans are two thirds Neanderthal.

[trystan]

Well if you came to our town I think you'd change your mind


 
(joke by the way)

[FeteFatale]

lol ... thanks, but I have enough "throwbacks" in my own family without trying to find any more 

[Redroger]

As I understand it, Neanderthalers (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) were early contemporaries of early members of our own sub species (homo sapiens sapiens) and are not ancestral to us. We all apparently came out of Africa at a variety of time periods. Homo Neanderthalensis leaving earlier than our own ancestors, though there is some doubt over the timing as to when this happened. I don't take any of the research as being anything like finalised as it is a developing area of research; further complicated by the discovery of other Archaic members of the Homo clan.

[DevonCruwys]

There was a very good article by Dr Michael Hammer in the May 2013 issue of Scientific American which summarises some of the recent findings and is well worth reading. I found a pdf available online:

http://80.250.162.180/2007/Tatyana.Polyakova/English/documentary.su-Scientific_American_USA_2013-05.pdf