Re: Modern Neanderthals?
David \ (dsierra@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu)
Thu, 17 Oct 1996 16:09:37 -0500
On Tue, 15 Oct 1996, Stephen Barnard wrote:
[stuff deleted]
>
> Perhaps (a favorite word in this ng) they could interbreed but produce
> only sterile offspring. Just read Jean Auel. She has all the answers.
> :-)
And of course, the presence of _sterile_ offspring is the hallmark of
species differentiation. I don't see anyone suggesting we consider
donkeys and horses members of the same species because they can mate and
produce a sterile donkey. Again, I'm not saying that H.n. and H.s. were
or weren't memebers ofthe same species, but that they true and final
measure is the presence of _firtile_ offspring capable of reproducing
with both parent's populations and producing firtile offspring capable of
reprodicing. . .etc, etc, you get the point.
As there are no H.n. out there to test the question in this matter, the
best way is to look at mitocondrial and genomic DNA studies. I don't
recall seeing anything published recently suggesting the presence of a
large amount of DNA that diverged from the general population and then
re-entered the genome. Of course if I'm wrong, please point me in the
right direction.
On another note, anyone care to propose some other types of studies that
could help determine presence/non-presence of H.n. genomic matterial in
the H.s.s. genome?
Later,
David Sierra
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