When Humans and Neanderthals Split

[n2doc]

nalysis by Jennifer Viegas
Wed Jun 23, 2010 09:28 AM ET

While DNA evidence suggests humans and Neanderthals mated way back when, the two groups did represent distinct species at the time. The question is: when did they last share a common ancestor?

A new study on dental fossils indicates Neanderthals and our own species, Homo sapiens, shared a common ancestor at least one million years ago, which is more than 500,000 years earlier than previously thought.

A million years is a drop in the evolutionary bucket, however, which perhaps helps to explain why we share so many features and behaviors in common with the red headed, meat loving, music producing Neanderthals.

Aida Gómez Robles, a researcher at the University of Granada, analyzed the teeth of virtually all hominid species that existed over the past 4 million years. Using quantitative methods, she determined that Neanderthal features existed in ancient European populations.

more

http://news.discovery.com/human/when-humans-and-neanderthals-split.html

[louis-t]

1. I wuz gunna say it was when

the Republican Party was formed.

[damntexdem]

8. No, as I note below, it was later.

The Party of Lincoln was not Neanderthal. That came later.

;-)

[Dawson Leery]

2. Humans became Democrat and Neanderthals became Republicans.

:hide:

[DURHAM D]

4. LOL - Good one. nt

[sarge43]

5. Don't insult Neanderthals

They cooperated toward common beneficial goals -- community hunting and they took care of their elderly.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. I thought the interbreeding of Neanderthals and Cro Magnons was still debatable because

DNA comparisons didn't support the theory of there being any Neanderthal in the make up of modern humans?

[mike_c]

6. recent neanderthal sequencing has revealed that humans and neanderthals DO...

...share DNA from interbreeding, i.e. modern humans do in fact have some neanderthal alleles.

Here's a link: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/05/06/4350416-neanderthal-dna-lives-on-in-some-of-us

[damntexdem]

7. Oh, I thought it was in the late 1860s, when the GOP became devoted to big business.

Or maybe in 1876, when it totally sold out its reformist stance and allowed the end of Reconstruction.

;-)