Re: _the neandertal enigma_ questions

HARRY R. ERWIN (herwin@osf1.gmu.edu)
20 Sep 1995 13:55:10 GMT

kevin m. kniffin (kmkniff1@omni.voicenet.com) wrote:
: i just finished shreeve's book and have some questions....

: 1) what is the sexual dimorphism of neandertals (i.e., body size) like?

I calculated this at one point. About the same as modern humans.

: 2) the description of the wilson interview was fun, but i gotta wonder what
: wilson meant saying the future "may not involve human bodies anymore."
: dawkins speculates that us humans may be the scaffold for the development of
: silicon/computer life...is this what wilson seemed to be hinting at?

Beats me.

: 3) what is infant mortality like in other primates/other species?

Generally not as bad as wildebeest (92%). At least 60% in chimps. Much
worse in small primates.

: 4) couldnt DNA studies be bolstered to the point of "certainty" by a
: substantial increase in the number of subjects?

If the data don't exist anymore, no.

--

Harry Erwin

Internet: herwin@gmu.edu 

Home Page: http://osf1.gmu.edu/~herwin (try a couple of times)

PhD student in comp neurosci: "Glitches happen" & "Meaning is emotional"