A New Theory on How Neanderthal DNA Spread in Asia

[n2doc]

In 2010, scientists made a startling discovery about our past: About 50,000 years ago, Neanderthals interbred with the ancestors of living Europeans and Asians.

Now two teams of researchers have come to another intriguing conclusion: Neanderthals interbred with the ancestors of Asians at a second point in history, giving them an extra infusion of Neanderthal DNA.

The findings are further evidence that our genomes contain secrets about our evolution that we might have missed by looking at fossils alone. “We’re learning new, big-picture things from the genetic data, rather than just filling in details,” said Kirk E. Lohmueller, a geneticist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and co-author of one of the new studies.

The oldest fossils of Neanderthals date back about 200,000 years, while the most recent are an estimated 40,000 years old. Researchers have found Neanderthal bones at sites across Europe and western Asia, from Spain to Siberia.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/science/a-new-theory-on-how-neanderthal-dna-spread-in-asia.html?ref=science

[mopinko]

1. my dna is 3% neanderthal

this puts me very high on the scale, 92%.
i was expecting that as there are def gingers in my line.
it's fun knowing where you came from.

[jimlup]

2. I'm a science teacher and sometimes get to teach Big History

If I get to teach it again soon, I really want to have my DNA tested to see how much Neanderthal I am.