Modern Humans did not Admix with Neanderthals

[Alkman]

Modern humans did not admix with Neanderthals during their range expansion into Europe.

Currat M, Excoffier L.

Computational and Molecular Population Genetics Lab, Zoological Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland.

The process by which the Neanderthals were replaced by modern humans between 42,000 and 30,000 before present is still intriguing. Although no Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineage is found to date among several thousands of Europeans and in seven early modern Europeans, interbreeding rates as high as 25% could not be excluded between the two subspecies. In this study, we introduce a realistic model of the range expansion of early modern humans into Europe, and of their competition and potential admixture with local Neanderthals. Under this scenario, which explicitly models the dynamics of Neanderthals' replacement, we estimate that maximum interbreeding rates between the two populations should have been smaller than 0.1%. We indeed show that the absence of Neanderthal mtDNA sequences in Europe is compatible with at most 120 admixture events between the two populations despite a likely cohabitation time of more than 12,000 y. This extremely low number strongly suggests an almost complete sterility between Neanderthal females and modern human males, implying that the two populations were probably distinct biological species.




http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=15562317

[Gil]

The possible sterility of Neanderthals towards modern humans and vice versa would explain why there are no modern descendants of neanderthals but couldn't it be possible that along the evolution of man those descendants from the mix became to diluted as to make it virtually impossible to discern the markers of neanderthal ascent?

[Awar]

I think once in a while, a fully neanderthal kid would pop-out if that was so

[Gil]

Some kids and grown-ups sure look....neanderthalesque......to say the least....

[Awar]

Here too... usually weird people from small villages

[Gil]

Oh the horrors of incestuous behaviour....

[Awar]

Seriously, here in Serbia, you can see such people in all the weird places.
I've seen absolutely weird-looking individuals at large bus-stops, at court,
and the weirdest of all, an entire family of blonde-blue-eyed-rose-skinned people
with short legs and pear-shaped bodies. ( someone of their family died the same day as my gradpa, so I see them whenever I go to the graveyard ).

Anyway, I've seen ...what can only be described as a Neanderthal-Dinaric mix when
I was in court this summer. I'll try to draw him later.

[Zrinski]

Originally Posted by Awar

Seriously, here in Serbia, you can see such people in all the weird places.
I've seen absolutely weird-looking individuals at large bus-stops, at court,
and the weirdest of all, an entire family of blonde-blue-eyed-rose-skinned people
with short legs and pear-shaped bodies. ( someone of their family died the same day as my gradpa, so I see them whenever I go to the graveyard ).

Alien Invasion!!!

[Awar]

nah, more like Teletubbies.

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by Manji

Some kids and grown-ups sure look....neanderthalesque......to say the least....

Its true, at my school there was the missing link, his eyebrows were connected to his hairline.

[Awar]

Originally Posted by Arawn

Its true, at my school there was the missing link, his eyebrows were connected to his hairline.

Oh my! How did he ever get all the way to Serbia on a bicycle?

[Arawn]

Was it a long haired guy called Sven
He actualy looked like an actor from the 60s, the one who usualy played the role of Native Americans, even though he wasn't (namely, someone who looked sufficiently different to pass as a native, but had no native ancestry, and thus was happy playing stupid typecast roles). Watch some lame old US western, and he'll be there in some minor role, though he was in some cheesy old Sci-fi movies too, could have been an alien for all i know

[Graeme]

The problem with your freaky Serbs or Welshies is that their DNA would probably be similar to most of their ethnic group. I suppose when the DNA genes or groups of genes which actually code for a bigger nose, short legs, a thick neck and a heavy browridge are found then some atypical genes or alleles may be found. Being very heavily built and as the barber told me, with a big head I think I am sufficiently UP not to want to be Neanderthalic as well. Personally I would like to be a normal looking Mediterranid so that I didn't have to buy such big clothes from a limited number of shops.

The lack of mtDNA similarities with Neanderthals does not mean that the two humanoids did not interbred. It may be that the female line was bred out leaving no Neanderthal mtDNA.

[Arawn]

They did find a few half half kids though, though only kiddie skeletons, never adults.

[Vitor]

I guess this new inversion genes is proof of ADMIX wth Neanderthals!
A common inversion under selection in Europeans

This new thoery is Not political correct, I guess there will be a bunch of "geneticist" trying to prove that those inverse genes are not from neanderthal.

This new genes are just saying that races do exist!

Today we have an image of just stupid neanderthals, maybe they weren't that stupid, they had bigger brains, and they survived several Ice ages!

That theory of not admix is PC crap, we just don't have enough remains of those neanderthals to prove anything!

[Vitor]

Originally Posted by Arawn

They did find a few half half kids though, though only kiddie skeletons, never adults.

http://exn.net/Templates/Story.cfm?ID=1999041954

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/cavemen...entpage9.shtml

Late in 1998, another significant discovery was made at Lagar Velho, in Portugal. A child's skeleton, dated about 25,000 years old, is described as combining a modern-looking lower jaw and teeth with the robust, cold-adapted body shape characteristic of Neanderthals. However, full study of the skeleton is still in progress, and so it is not yet possible to evaluate in detail the claim that it is a hybrid. The young age of the child may have affected the degree of expression of modern or Neanderthal features, and it is not yet established whether it shows Neanderthal or modern features in significant regions such as the upper front teeth and inner ear. Alternatively, since we know that Portugal was much colder during this part of the Ice Age, could it represent the first evidence of modern humans adapting to the cold of the last Ice Age, thus paralleling the Neanderthals in some respects? These questions can only be answered by further research.

[Svyatoslav]

Originally Posted by Vitor

I guess this new inversion genes is proof of ADMIX wth Neanderthals!
A common inversion under selection in Europeans

That's purely speculative; ergo, most definitely not a proof.

[Vitor]

Originally Posted by The Blond Beast

That's purely speculative; ergo, most definitely not a proof.

Speculative?

If africans don't have that...
if the mutation exist since 3 million years ago...then...the out of africa theory must have ocurred first 3 million years ago!

This is a very credible scientific work!
I guess none of us have enough qualifications to contest this icelandic work.

[Svyatoslav]

Originally Posted by Vitor

Speculative?

If africans don't have that...
if the mutation exist since 3 million years ago...then...the out of africa theory must have ocurred first 3 million years ago!

This is a very credible scientific work!
I guess none of us have enough qualifications to contest this icelandic work.

Many gene frequencies can be rationalized through various drift effects. Considering most Icelandics are of predominantly Norwegian inspiration, I'm curious as to how these results would compare to those further south and east. Much like Icelandic cattle, I'm thinking founder effect.