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Cousins After All?
In a new study, scientists are claiming that 1-3% of Asian and European genes are Neandertal. Exactly how DNA evidence can be gleaned from fossil examination isn't clear to me, but that could be caused by Ellen rushing us all out the door early today. Further examination will follow later...
In the big picture, this seems pretty simple. They've identified roughly 60% of the Neanderthal genome already via normal sequencing methodology. What they did is compare that to 5 specific individuals from the modern world. What they found is somewhat interesting - the 1-4% of the genes in humans that are Neanderthal don't go both ways. They're only in humans, not Neanderthals.
I think that's indicative of male Neanderthals having sex with female humans and not the other way around. Very interesting.
Of course, with only 60% of the genome sequenced, there's still room for more findings. Plus, comparisons to just 5 people is somewhat suspect.
Posted by: Ron ap Rhys on May 7, 2010 08:52 AM