Post by FWS on Aug 21, 2014 8:57:07 GMT -6
Neanderthals and humans may have had sex for thousands of years
Jonathan Marker | Science Recorder | August 21, 2014
Neanderthals and humans may have had sex for thousands of years
Currently, there is no evidence to show that Neanderthals and early modern humans lived closely together.
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According to a statement from the University of Oxford, UK scientists have concluded that Neanderthals and modern humans “overlapped” in Europe for between 2,600 and 5,400 years, based on the construction of a robust timeline showing when the last Neanderthals died out.
The complete research findings appear in the journal Nature, and the report indicates there is strong evidence to suggest that Neanderthals disappeared at different times across Europe – rather than being rapidly replaced by modern humans.
Led by Oxford Professor Thomas Higham, a team of researchers acquired new radiocarbon dates for approximately 200 samples of bone, charcoal and shell from 40 key European archaeological sites. Ranging from Russia in the east to Spain in the west, the sites either linked with the Neanderthal tool-making industry, known as Mousterian, or were “transitional” in which sites containing stone tools associated with either early modern humans or Neanderthals.
The researchers pieced together the chronology during a six-year research project by building mathematical models that merge the new radiocarbon dates with established archaeological stratigraphic evidence. The results indicated that both groups overlapped for a significant period, giving enough time for interaction and interbreeding. However, the researchers noted that it is not clear where interbreeding may have happened in Eurasia or whether it occurred on one occasion or several times.
“Other recent studies of Neanderthal and modern human genetic make-up suggest that both groups interbred outside Africa, with 1.5%-2.1% or more of the DNA of modern non-African human populations originating from Neanderthals,” said Higham. “We believe we now have the first robust timeline that sheds new light on some of the key questions around the possible interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans. The chronology also pinpoints the timing of the Neanderthals’ disappearance, and suggests they may have survived in dwindling populations in pockets of Europe before they became extinct.”
According to the Smithsonian Institution, Neanderthals are our closest extinct human relative. Some defining features of their skulls include the large middle part of the face, angled cheek bones, and a huge nose for humidifying and warming cold, dry air. Their bodies were shorter and stockier than ours, another adaptation to living in cold environments. But their brains were just as large as ours and often larger – proportional to their brawnier bodies.
Currently, there is no evidence to show that Neanderthals and early modern humans lived closely together. Instead of modern humans rapidly replacing Neanderthals, the researchers indicated that there seems to have been a more complex interrelation.
Jonathan Marker | Science Recorder | August 21, 2014
Neanderthals and humans may have had sex for thousands of years
Currently, there is no evidence to show that Neanderthals and early modern humans lived closely together.
Science Recorder Pro
Free trial. No ads. Exclusive interviews. Access to all articles. Just $4.99/year. Subscribe
According to a statement from the University of Oxford, UK scientists have concluded that Neanderthals and modern humans “overlapped” in Europe for between 2,600 and 5,400 years, based on the construction of a robust timeline showing when the last Neanderthals died out.
The complete research findings appear in the journal Nature, and the report indicates there is strong evidence to suggest that Neanderthals disappeared at different times across Europe – rather than being rapidly replaced by modern humans.
Led by Oxford Professor Thomas Higham, a team of researchers acquired new radiocarbon dates for approximately 200 samples of bone, charcoal and shell from 40 key European archaeological sites. Ranging from Russia in the east to Spain in the west, the sites either linked with the Neanderthal tool-making industry, known as Mousterian, or were “transitional” in which sites containing stone tools associated with either early modern humans or Neanderthals.
The researchers pieced together the chronology during a six-year research project by building mathematical models that merge the new radiocarbon dates with established archaeological stratigraphic evidence. The results indicated that both groups overlapped for a significant period, giving enough time for interaction and interbreeding. However, the researchers noted that it is not clear where interbreeding may have happened in Eurasia or whether it occurred on one occasion or several times.
“Other recent studies of Neanderthal and modern human genetic make-up suggest that both groups interbred outside Africa, with 1.5%-2.1% or more of the DNA of modern non-African human populations originating from Neanderthals,” said Higham. “We believe we now have the first robust timeline that sheds new light on some of the key questions around the possible interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans. The chronology also pinpoints the timing of the Neanderthals’ disappearance, and suggests they may have survived in dwindling populations in pockets of Europe before they became extinct.”
According to the Smithsonian Institution, Neanderthals are our closest extinct human relative. Some defining features of their skulls include the large middle part of the face, angled cheek bones, and a huge nose for humidifying and warming cold, dry air. Their bodies were shorter and stockier than ours, another adaptation to living in cold environments. But their brains were just as large as ours and often larger – proportional to their brawnier bodies.
Currently, there is no evidence to show that Neanderthals and early modern humans lived closely together. Instead of modern humans rapidly replacing Neanderthals, the researchers indicated that there seems to have been a more complex interrelation.
