This extremely recent study has questioned one of the basic premises of human evolution; that we are not directly related to Homo Neanderthal. In fact, according to researchers, Neanderthal may have been capable of advance speech (FOXP2) and 1 to 4% of all modern humans DNA is from Neanderthal.
What a terrible OP sorry I'm doing a report on this and I got what I was writing down confused.
The study also said that the Neanderthal genome is 99.7% identical to ours and that we most likely lived together (to some extent) during our history. This has major ramifications for human evolution as it may cause us to re-create our evolutionary tree and rethink some things we had considered fact.
hmmm we are mainly homo sapiens and homo neandrethals, but we are evolved from ALL those old humans..so we're technically like.000 something of every human tribe there's ever been. we're just mainly depreived from sabiens and neandrethals
Basically but it used to be thought that Homo Sapiens only had a common ancestor with Neanderthal (Homo Ergaster I believe) but now we think we might be directly related to him. Also we just up graded them to, potentially, the second smartest species to ever inhabit Earth although we originally thought they were the epitome of cavemen.
Sorry it's homo heidelbergensis that's the common ancestor. The tree knows all :P. Or it used to basically; put Neanderthal directly below Homo Sapiens instead of having it branch off.
Basically but it used to be thought that Homo Sapiens only had a common ancestor with Neanderthal (Homo Ergaster I believe) but now we think we might be directly related to him. Also we just up graded them to, potentially, the second smartest species to ever inhabit Earth although we originally thought they were the epitome of cavemen.
Samy, having a common ancestor means you are derived from it-- neanderthals and humans being no exception. Being directly branched off from the neanderthal means you are part of it, meaning you have its DNA. Being different from our common ancestor means we have undergone enough mutations to become different, which is a great step forward. This only further strengthens evolutionary proof that we actually came from something, contrary to the popular belief that we came from *snickers* monkeys. *snickers*
We have Neanderthal DNA because we interbreed with them; not because we descended from them.
Well yeah, a long time ago! What the article doesn't explain is how we were here while they were also. What could have happened is that the common ancestor below us changed,changed,changed until we soon became part of the world, while they were still here. To think that two different species are so alike that we could have mated is astonishing though. They would have died out (for some reason) and that small percentage that was given were from those that were the offspring of the Neanderthals.
What the article doesn't explain is how we were here while they were also.
Modern Humans evolved around 200,000 years ago and Neanderthals didn't die out until 30,000-50,000 years ago; we also inhabited many of the same landmasses (Europe, Middle East, etc).
So yeah, that article was reinforced by others, also saying that 99.7% of our DNA is closely related to Neanderthals. Their genes also suggested having a syntax that we use which is essential for language, plus the correct melanin amount that gives them light-pink skin like us.
There's also the theories as to how the Neanderthals really died out. Competition against the Cro-Magnons (us, basically) is one of the biggies. The Cro-Magnons weren't as dependent on hunting for sustenance as the Neanderthals were. The Cro-Magnons could in fact communicate with others well, which is essential for survival (judging from the structure and the genome of the Cro-Magnon). Having both species in one area just didn't work out for the Neanderthals, and so because they couldn't compete well against the Cro-Magnons, they died out.
Then they migrated further into the East across the Russian-Alaskan junction, which is how we had people there
Then they migrated further into the East across the Russian-Alaskan junction, which is how we had people there
Actually that ideas under scrutiny too. Some ancient Native American cultures reflect the European cultures of that time more than the Russian and East Asian. This has lead the the proposition that we migrated over the large ice sheets covering the Atlantic ocean.
The Cro-Magnons could in fact communicate with others well, which is essential for survival (judging from the structure and the genome of the Cro-Magnon).
It's truth you speak. However the idea that Neanderthals could also communicate in a complex manner is becoming more and more popular.
