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Marc2b -> RE: Neanderthals never interbred with Homosapiens. (11/16/2006 5:07:09 PM)
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quote:
The earlier DNA research concerned mitochondrial DNA. As mitochondria are only passed on by the females, this was not conclusive evidence of no interbreeding between us and them. However, this new research appears to have identified nuclear DNA. When that establishes a genetic distance of half a million years, it is conclusive evidence that no Neanderthal alleles have been incorporated into our gene pool.
We will have to wait and see what new DNA research turns up, but at the moment it looks like all Neanderthal alleles have been lost and that they indeed became extinct. Unless there is a zoo of Neanderthals on a planet in a galaxy far away...
If something "appears," then it cannot be conclusive. Plus, new research needs to be peer reviewed and replicated before it can be conclusive. Ultimately, however, I really don’t care. I was being (or apparently attempting, and failing to be) humourous. All I’m saying is... don’t you occasionally see someone with a really thick brow ridge and think to yourself, "throwback."
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