Henri Poincare (1854 - 1912)
Last night I watched the program The Neanderthal Code on the National Geographic Channel that focused on and gave a great deal of credence to the interbreeding theory, which hypothesizes that modern sapiens from the "Out of Africa" migration would have encountered Neanderthals on the European continent and, instead of replacing them, would have assimilated them and any advantageous adaptations Neanderthals would have posessed that could be passed down through their genes. In addition, this would have been a boon to the genetic diversity of modern humans and may have accelerated their development. Anthropological thought is divided on this issue, and until the genomes of both species are mapped in their entirety, it remains a contentious issue in the field of biological Anthropology.
To learn more about the enduring mysteries of Neanderthal DNA, National Goegraphic profiles the search for answers through genetic mapping in next month's issue.
You can also visit Anthropology.net for other topical discoveries and revelations in the field of Anthropology.
In other news, science sure doesn't pay what it used to...but being an (overpaid, out of touch) administrator sure isn't as intersting as being a (poor) researcher (toiling away in obscurity).
toothpastefordinner.com
8 comments:
ah, youth. I cannot agree on the assimilation process myself. during my prehistoric evolution class it was debated, but alas, I came out on one side of the debate and am one of those people who stand steadfast, ignorantly shouting that the genetics didn't match enough for actual interbreeding. did you know they couldn't even talk? yes. I'm sure you do.
anthropology.net! where the world gets mislead...
so excited to see you!!
"ah, youth"? LOL, whatevs, woman. Some researchers now say that some samples of Neanderthal DNA contain a gene similar to that present in contemporary human samples that is a marker for speech, even though Neanderthal skeletal remains don't seem to indicate the physical mechanisms for what we would consider the ability ot vocalize complex speech patterns. So were they crossbreeding, or did this gene develop independently and Neanderthals as a species at some point would have developed what we consider language?
I didn't delve very deeply into the content of Anthropology.net - do they habitually post crap-science?
not habitually, no.
thats the key to their "run like the ministry & azkaban" philosophy. only fix it when it breaks, deny any and every change for the worst when you posted something like neanderthals having the ability to mimic or produce complex speech patterns.
read this article at work (you'll then have access to it for free!)
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v424/n6950/full/424726a.html
versus this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/27/neanderthals-wore-makeup_n_93796.html
Ack - you posted Huff Post. I read Huffington about as often as I read Michelle Malkin's foaming at the mouth partisan bs rhetoric...
Which is to say, I don't read either.
But body adornment or hypothetical uses for pigment don't equal proof of the physiological/biological capacity for verbal language and complex speech patterns - I think we're both on the same page there. The Nature article was 404 Not Found, so I can't draw any parallels. :(
no, but you CAN look up NAture on the USF database and then do a search for Neanderthal articles. resourcefulness. you'd enjoy it.
:)
Being resourceful means I'd have to be thinking. More. More thinking equals my brain becoming pudding.
I eat pudding. Its good.
braiiiiinnsss!
HAHA! I think we should bring every topic around to zombies. Always.
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