Is it not possible they may have interbred with the homo sapiens and their descendants are still with us
2007-01-15 00:41:45 · 12 answers · asked by Manam 1 in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
actually, new scientific finds suggest that exact thing. That the three were contemporaries, and intermarried (or mated at least). they have found half Neanderthal, half human fossils
2007-01-15 00:49:58 · answer #1 · answered by smm 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We are not sure at all whether neanderthals interbred with anatomically modern humans. There is currently a genome project that is unravelling and coding the neanderthal dna sequence. Once this data is analyzed (late 2008), we may be able to show once and for all, whether, if any, neanderthal dna is present in today's populations. If segments of specifically neanderthal dna is present in some modern human or archaic humans it is very strong evidence that there was interbreeding.
Additionally, we do have evidence that neanderthals occupied cave sites alongside and during the same time periods as archaic humans (anatomically modern humans that lived a long time ago during the time of neanderthals). That being said, there was enough proximity for them to mate. They certainly shared tool technology/knowledge with each other as it is impossible to distinguish neanderthal tools from archaic human tools in that cave. Whether or not archaic humans and neanderthals interbred is less a debate over dna and more about our own ego. We just find it very undesirable to suggest that we shared ancestors with a brand of humans that have since gone the way of the dinosaurs.
It's faulty logic but scientists who continue this debate use it all the time "we prevailed, we are the ones that survived and evolved so we couldn't have mated with lesser beings like the neanderthals who did not survive as a distinct population."
2007-01-15 19:14:42 · answer #2 · answered by Monique D 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There are alot of stories from Russia and thereabouts that describe a man like thing that might very well be relic Neanderthals. These are called Almasti. If the stories are true, then obviously there were at least a few Neanderthals that survived. It appears based on some DNA studies from the most recent Neanderthals, that they did not shard some marker genes indicating we probably did not interbreed very much if at all. I personally would be surprised if there weren't some Neanderthal genes in modern humans.
2007-01-15 16:05:05 · answer #3 · answered by JimZ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
neanderthal human and homo sapien lived in the same areas at the same time in many parts of the world and it is not only feasible that they may have interbred but I am certain there is evidence in many people today that such a thing did happen....
Just watch a session or two of parliament on television.... plain evidence!!
2007-01-16 14:13:17 · answer #4 · answered by wollemi_pine_writer 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i did a paper on this last semester... i found there are a number of scientific people who believe that neandertals indeed interbred ...
2007-01-15 12:31:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely, one such descendant lives next door to me.
2007-01-15 10:47:20 · answer #6 · answered by gypsy3100 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
could be. why not? animals can breed with other species - why not humans (think horse/mule/donkey, lion/tiger etc - they may belong to the same family as each other but they are different species)
2007-01-16 19:25:13 · answer #7 · answered by Minerva 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Neanderthals are extinct because our ancestors found them to be so tasty.
2007-01-15 11:39:59 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
they didn't. I just saw a couple of them on a tv commercial.
2007-01-15 16:20:49 · answer #9 · answered by user name 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
http://www.thetech.org/genetics
2007-01-15 08:55:27 · answer #10 · answered by Sabine 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋