Neanderthal ?

Question

It has been suggested that Neanderthals interbred with humans, forming hybrids, and soon dissipated due to over breeding. According to wikipedia, "Edward Rubin of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California states that recent genome testing of Neanderthals suggests human and Neanderthal DNA are some 99.5 percent to nearly 99.9 percent identical". When would a human be considered human? When two "species" are 99.9 percent alike, you'd assume they'd be part of the same species. Don't most ethnicities differ by .01% in genetics, but are still considered human?

Neanderthals- Homo neanderthalensis
Humans- Homo Sapien sapien
Considered two different "species" in today's science

In many cases, closely related species produce fertile offspring.. once again, that is what wikipedia says, yet we have sterilized mules, tigons, liger, etc...

Science says we never evolved from Neanderthals, they're a "sister" species.

Once again, if science says that .01% seperates neanderthal from human, what's stopping me from saying the Chinese are a different species, or the Africans or Arabs, or what ever?

Answer 1

You are correct about the genetic difference between humans being very small, though many people are not happy with the numbers. Rubin's research, however, only suggests that Neanderthals *could* have interbred with humans. Maybe. Big maybe. The mention of human-Neanderthal interbreeding is thrown in there like a teaser of research to come.

Recent research into the Neanderthal genome by two different teams have both been technical achievements - and that is really the reason to pay attention to this stuff. These are the first researchers to successfully use nuclear DNA to start sequencing the Neanderthal genome.

Yet the media has been focusing on untenable speculation about what the meagre data we now have might indicate. Neanderthals and humans interbred! Human males slept with Neanderthal women! Humans with red hair may actually have Neanderthal DNA in them! For the time being, all this is mere speculation. It's not the media's fault - Paabo and Rubins have been letting little untenable bits like this slip out. Why? Probably to get the public excited and to guarantee funding for further research using these spectacular techniques.

In summary: Flatly, there is still not enough genetic evidence to say much of anything about Neanderthal genomics, but we should be praising both teams for developing such groundbreaking techniques, which will surely give us answers to such questions in the future.

Answer 2

The question of the relationship between Neandertals and anatomically modern humans (AMHs) is one that is still not resolved. Some say they were seperate species and AMHs wiped out all Neandertals when they moved into Europe. Others say they were subspecies (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens sapiens) and could have mated and produced offspring (though it would hard to say whether these offspring would be capable of producing offspring themselves). It's also difficult to determine if they did interbreed if they could.

One piece of evidence is mitochondrial DNA (this is passed down from the mother). If Neandertals and AMHs mated, then Neandertal mitochondrial DNA should appear in AMHs. The same for the Y chromosome (passed from father to son). Neither mitochondrial DNA nor a Y chromosome coming from Neandertal DNA has ever been found in AMH DNA, though this does not prove conclusively either that they never mated. There are plenty of explanations for how these genetic properties could have gone extinct even with interbreeding.

There is no definitive answer to this question yet, and it could be many years before an answer is anywhere near. Evidence could be gathered to prove or disprove either side. It's basically a matter of what each individual person chooses to believe: two different species or two subspecies that could have (and possibly did) interbreed.

Answer 3

The difference in Neanderthal DNA from human DNA is much greater than the differences in ethnicities among humans.Remember that chimps share 99% of our DNA, as well. But you are misinterpreting. Neanderthals and homo Sapians are considered to be the same "genus" (Human), but different species. Meaning they are close enough to interbreed, but not quite the same. A group of geneticists are currently mapping the Neanderthal genome, so more will be known about this in the future.

Answer 4

The brain may have something to do with it. Neandertals brains were not as fully developed or as 'big' as modern humans. We can see this from skull size and shape, etc. Although our DNA is 98% identical to that of the Bonobo, a great ape, the size of the brain in particular is significantly different. This ape, does however, walk upright.
While great apes in general share many commonalities with human, that of social structure and family interaction, etc...

So, what is human?? Humans have numerous traits that set us apart from other species, including brain size, advanced social structures, highly developed vocal cords and many other things. So, aside from defects in some humans, we all share those and many other traits.

Answer 5

I believe that we are desendants of Neanderthals but that the hybrid adapted in order to survive. A lot of people have bumps on the back of their heads that is typical of a Neanderthal. Also, with the DNA evidence that you provide, I do believe that this is a theory that has a lot of weight. It does need to be scientifically proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, for the scientific community to accept it.

Answer 6

Neanderthals are humans. Just a much older version of modern day humans.

Like a car. A 1995 Camry is just like a 2006 Camry. They are both Camrys.

Answer 7

I would expect the hybrids weren't viable. That's really the definition of a species, a group that is reproductively isolated. They weren't human.

Answer 8

Interspecies dont survive,otherwise we would have a lot of weird animals around.

I know you can breed a canary with a lark or a finch but what happens is the offspring are completely unable to breed.

Answer 9

I'm 1/4 Neanderthal from my mother's side.

Answer 10

but arnt all hybreds steralised??? if not what hybreds arnt??? because i know that the as (between donky what ever) is sterial.
and just because they are 99% or what ever the same doesnt mean they are i think it is like water is 100% water and a water melon is 96% water and there are other things but it doesnt make them the same
And we didnt suposivly come from monkey it was a common ancestor and man and ape suposivly came from that